Rae
by R.N.Taylor
Summary: Ever since the lone wanderer crawled out of vault 101, Rae had been paying for her messes, when she wasn't cleaning them up that is.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Fallout or any of it's charicters.**

**As always, thank you to Rex Greene, my uncle, good friend and happily willing beta reader!  
>Also, to my friend, Kayla, who came in after Rex to take a secont look.<br>****And to my friend, Gomez, for his feedback and support.  
><strong>**Thank you, guys!**

"... the story of a little boy. A ... named Bryan Wilks. ... from Grayditch, a small settlement that was recently overrun ... Giant Ants. Bryan, ... sole survivor. That's where the kid from Vault 101 ... gets even worse. You see, ... 101 may have stopped the Ant problem, but she couldn't be bothered to help poor little Bryan. ... Three Dog? Where's Bryan Wilks now? I'll tell you ... is stuck in a fucking box, that's where! Good God, 101, have you no ... to rot in that fallout shelter. I have witnesses! So for the love of God, if someone is in the vicinity ... you please give the kid a Nuka-Cola, a Salisbury steak, something?..."

She sneered in disgust. "Fucking vault bitch," she mumbled, continuing to wiggle the antenna on the radio. "If I ever meet that little..." she trailed off.

Ever since the lone wanderer crawled out of vault 101, Rae had been paying for her mess, when she wasn't cleaning them up that is. _Isn't there enough violence with the raiders and radiated, vicious animals running around the wasteland_, She thought, giving up and turning the radio off.

Springvale had always been a mess. Everything out there was. But ever since Megaton was blown off the map, everything looked much more hazy and morbid. Everyone had vault girl to thank for that. Right after the town's disappearance, all Rae ever heard about was her. It had marked the beginning of the end for Rae for sure. Silver had to be buried a short time after and Rae had been the only one there to do it. She had been her only friend out there in the middle of hell and nothingness. It seemed like everywhere vault girl went she left death and destruction behind her. _Just another little girl with parenting issues_, Rae thought.

Silver had been constantly shooting up with Psycho, making her company much less than perfect. But who could blame her with her past and all? She may not have been the most intelligent person in the wastes, but she had been nice to Rae, making her lonely, empty feeling considerably smaller.

When Silver stopped coming to visit, Rae had walked over to check on her, hoping she hadn't O... She hadn't.. Her house had been raided and there she was, laying on the floor in her bedroom, blood splattered on the wall and acumilating a crimson pool beneath her body.

Sure, raiders could have done it. It was possible, but Rae knew better. Something told her this wasn't raiders. Maybe it was the fact that, had it been raiders, her house would have been invaded as well. No, Rae knew it was little miss 101..

There had been a rumer that the lone wanderer wasn't real. Just something Three Dog had been making up for kicks. Rae would have understood, had that been true. It was boring out there. But she knew the vault kid was real. She saw her the day she walked out of the vault. Blue 101 jumpsuit, cleaner than anything the wasteland had seen in a long time. Light skin untouched by the sun, stretched over her body and the hand holding a police baton, hair clean, blond and cut short.

Rae had been scavenging and watched in interest as the young girl blindly stumbled over rocks as she headed in the direction of Megaton. Other than the sight being so odd, Rae hadn't thought much of it. Police baton considered, she pretty much assumed the kid was gonna be killed before being picked over by hungry creatures of the wastes. But no, it turned out that unfortunately, she had been much tougher than that. _Too bad_, Rae thought. _She had been really pretty.. The crazy ones usually are._

Rae gave a deep sigh and flopped back in her old, ruined bed. She wasn't much to look at. Blue eyes were hiding behind glasses, held together with excessive amounts of wonder glue. Her red hair was pulled back and her skin was tan from the hot sun that beat down on the wastes. She was scrawny and not at all as threatening-looking as she really was. She was quick on the draw, to say the least, though she kept to herself mostly, hardly ever making enemies and just generally trying to survive just like any logical person would.

Usually, Rae would have stayed away from Grayditch. Not knowing there had been someone stuck there for some time, the fire ants weren't that tough but getting singed was definitely something she felt she should avoid. But, assuming Three Dog's Information was correct, the ants would be gone, and to Rae's delight they were.. Well, they were dead, anyway.. giant ant bodies were everywhere, and the smell of something burning was unescapable.

The small fallout shelter's "occupied" sign almost looked like a beacon in the dark of the night, flashing and glowing brightly. _Not very safe had a raiderbeen walking through_, she thought.

The mettle tube gave an odd hallow sound when she knocked on it, just a light, non-threatening tap.

"...He-hello?"

"Hey," Rae replied in a kind voice. "Bryan?"

"Maybe.."

The kid sounded scared and tired. He may have been sleeping before Rae had knocked. She wondered if he was small enough to curl up on the cold metal floor. _He would have to be really small_, she thought. _This thing is so narrow._

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

"I have some food for you. Why don't you come out?"

There was silence. Bryan was afraid for his life, no doubt, and the thought of a warm, juicy Brahmin steak may not have been enough for him to risk it.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Rae. I just want to help you. I promise not to hurt you... Aren't you cold in there?"

"I am..."

"Then come out, sweetie. I have a warm meal here for you."

Slowly, the shelter door slid open. Not all the way, just enough for him to peek through. Wide, brown eyes shined in the light of the moon. "I can't really see you... Are you carrying a weapon?"

"_Of course_ I am."

"Please, put it down?"

"Um.." Rae thought for a moment. Being vulnerable was never a good idea out there. But Bryan Wilks was more than vulnerable at this point. Assuming it would be enough for him to trust her, Rae took the rifle off her back and set it in the dirt.

The door slid open a little more. Even in the dark, he looked like a mess, cloths torn, dirty skin covered a scrawny, unfed body. He shivered in the cold box as he looked up at her. "Do you really have food... _for me_?"

Rae nodded, pulling a large, cooked cut of meat from her bag and a bottle of purified water to hand to the little boy.

She sat cross-legged in the dirt, watching him take large bites and almost forgetting to chew once or twice. The meat was unseasoned and a little over done, but to a child who hadn't really eaten in days, it must have tasted amazing. Rae hoped he didn't choke.

"Why are you still in this fallout shelter? Don't you have a home?"

"Yes," Bryan answered between bites. "But she told me I would be safer here."

"Who?"

"The lady who got rid of the ants."

Rae felt her fists clench at the thought of her; The Wasteland Destroyer.

"Sure was nice of her to help me out."

"But she _didn't_," Rae retorted, a little less sweet this time.

"She did." Bryan swallowed a rather large bite. "The ants are gone, right?"

"It would appear so..." Rae tried hard not to sound annoyed. She couldn't imagine why such a bitch would stop to help and then somehow keep things just as bad. _Probably just target practice_. "But she left you in here.. Wouldn't you be happier in your home?"

"Not if it isn't safe... But I'm safe in here."

"You would be safe at home too." Rae watched as he chewed the last of the steak. "No one ever comes through here. There all afraid of the ants. And the people who have been through here don't have a reason to come back."

Bryan thought about this for a minute or two while he drank his water. The nights out in the wastes were cold and the days were hot. Being in that mettle tube magnified the already extreme temperatures, making it almost to overwhelming. The only thing keeping him in there was the fear of a slow and painful death, which was slowly sounding more and more inviting to him. It would be better than living his whole life in there, sleeping in odd, uncomfortable positions with nothing to cushion the hard floor. He would starve to death eventually, which would be slow and painful anyway. "But what if there's something in the house," he asked thoughtfully. "I haven't been in there in a long time.. forever, it seems like now. Could you.. Maybe.. check it for me?"

"You didn't go home after the ants were killed? Even once?"

"No.. I was going to but I was to afraid.. Could you, please..."

"I suppose I could." The sun was rising now, cutting through the chill of the night air and making it easier to see. Rae stood up, lifting her weapon out of the dirt before having a quick glance around at the seemingly-empty houses. She really didn't expect to find anything at a "Which one's yours?"

If the smell of Grayditch had been bad before, it was nothing compared to the Wilks' house. There was the burnt smell of course, all the same smells as outside.. But there was something else as well. It smelt of death and rotting meat.

Rae wrinkled her nose in disgust as she opened the door wide, attempting to ventilate the house. She found herself standing in a sort of entrance room, a rotting ant corpse to her right. But that wasn't the smell disturbing her most. She wasn't sure what it was exactly until she entered the next room.

There, on the living room floor was a body. Not an ant body this time, but a man. His clothes were singed in random spots, one side of his face burnt. He looked a lot like Bryan. She wandered if this was Bryan's father and if he knew his dad had died.

Rae was glad Bryan hadn't seen this. It would have been nightmare-inducing if nothing else.

She sat at a chair in the middle of all the mess, trying to decide what to do. The body's would have to go for sure. She knew that. And Mr. Wilks would have to be buried with respect, as opposed to the ant bodies that Rae planed to burry all at once in one place. All of this had occured to her. What she couldn't decide was what she was going to do with Bryan.

Being in a big house all alone seemed almost as bad as being in that little tinny bomb shelter. He was scared, she knew that. How could he not be? But being alone for a long time was always scary. How could being alone in a house be different?

Rae forced herself to push her emotions aside and stood up to take care of the mess. She never said she would, only that she would check to see that the house was safe. But by promising that, she felt that she had promised more then to just quickly scan through the house. _And what kind of person would I be if I let him see his home this way?_

Rae got to work, dragging the lifeless, giant bugs through the front door, around to the back of the house and throwing them into a pile. She never found a shovel, so she used her hands to dig. She felt like a dog burying her treasures, except that they weren't. They were rotting and falling apart. She hoped that Mr. Wilks hadn't started to decompose just yet, though in the back of her mind she knew that he had. Of course he had. But she would have to ignore it to finish the job.

Once she had finished digging, deciding the two holes were deep enough, she had broken all of her nails. Many of them had bent backwards, snapping in half under the stress. It had taken hours without a shovel and she was sweating quite a bit.

"And now for the easy part," she announced out loud to herself, pushing the corpse into the large ditch before throwing the dirt back in, on top of the ants.

Rae collapsed on her back on top of it all, taking deep breaths and dreading what she knew had to come next. Just the thought turned her stomach. She felt grateful that she had at least thought of digging both holes at once, instead of dragging him out there and smelling his rotten form while she tried and finished her work. All that was left now was to bury him and she had dug out a nice, dignified spot, away from the ants but still in the back "yard," or what was left of it.

Rae didn't want to get up, though she was cooking out in the sun. Part of her felt that she would rather run off than go drag a dead body through the house. Sure, she dealt with dead bodies before. but none that had been dead longer than an hour or so. This was different.

Finally, feeling that if she put it off any longer, she may not do it at all, Rae stood up and walked slowly into the house. The smell wasn't near as bad as before, but still, the stench of a rotting man clung to the floor and ceiling. She tried not to breath from her nose, but the air even tasted horrible.

Grabbing Mr. Wilks by the ankles, she dragged him through the room, out the door, and into the freshly, hand-dug grave. Was that a squishing sound when he hit the bottom? Rae shook her head, trying to clear it and keep the contents of her stomach on the inside at the same time.

"Um.." Rae stood there, awkwardly for a moment, trying not to look at him. "I'm sure you were a good man and.. meant only the best for your son and... well... everything else.. You won't have to worry anymore because.. Well, because I'm here to help.." She felt a little silly doing this but it only seemed right to her. "And I... I promise your boy will be safe now.. Um... Rest in peace?.." Rae rolled her eyes at herself and pushed the dug out dirt back in and over Mr. Wilks.

Once she was all finished, It didn't seem like enough. She knew she had done so much for the boy all ready; dealing with all the dead bodies so that he wouldn't have to. But the house still smelt horrible. She didn't feel right just sending him in with it like that.

"I bet there's some Abraxo Cleaner somewhere in the house..." Rae went back in, still breathing through her mouth, searching through cabinets and drawers. Then she found what she was looking for. The smell of Abraxo never seemed so cleansing.

Rae scrubbed everything down stairs, making sure not to miss a single amount of body fluid; be it blood or.. she didn't want to think about what else could have possibly been on the floor and walls after everything that had happened. She felt like the murderer in a scene from one of the books she had scavenged, cleaning up the bloody mess before the authorities arrived. She never thought she would ever have to do something like this. It was very tedious and tiring work. She imagined that if she knew she would have to do this after a homicide, it would make the murder much less worth it.

"Your back!"

Rae wiped her forehead, trying to look less exhausted than she was. "Yes, I am. The house is safe."

"What took so long?"

"I... Uh..."

"Did you bury my pa?" The boy hung his head a little. Rae wasn't going to lie to him.

"I did."

"Thank you.."

"Your welcome.. How did you know he was..."

"That woman told me.. Said she found him in the house."

"Aw.. Well, like I said, it's safe.. so, I'll just be going.."

"You're _leaving_?" Bryan looked up at her, disappointment and sadness in his eyes. "But.. you're the only person who showed me any kindness since my pa.."

Rae didn't know what to say. She knew what it was like to feel abandoned by her parents. Being alone at such a young age was hard. And she never really wanted to leave Bryan alone in the house anyway.

Rae stared at him for a minute or two and he just stared back, waiting for her to go. "What then?" Rae asked, feeling bad for telling him she was leaving. "What do you want me to do?"

"I... I don't know.. _You're the adult_!" Bryan sounded mad and looked up at her angrily. But Rae knew he was just confused and sad, but most of all, he was lonely.

Rae bent down so that they were eye-level. "Do you want me to stay?"

Bryan said nothing. He just continued to look at her.

"If there are two beds in your house, then I will stay, if that's what you want."

"Forever?"

Rae almost felt like her heart was going to break. All of this was so sad. She wanted to say something but her throat was tight, so she just nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to Rex Greene and Kayla as always.**  
><strong>And a big thank you to cally777 who sent me a message to point out some things I must have missed.<strong>  
><strong>Thank you, cally, for being so kind and NOT telling me in a review.<strong>

**NOW ON WITH THE STORY!**

_It should be close_, Rae thought as she stood out, looking up at the old Nuka-Cola plant. "West, of here," she said out loud to herself. "That's what Crow said."

Rae had been out all that evening trading. She had a lot of things that she wanted to get rid of if she was going to move and didn't want to clutter up Bryan's house. She always imagined that at this age, she would be moving in with a boyfriend, not a little boy. But that was okay. She was more than happy to move in to keep him safe.

It had been hard for her, going through all her useless junk, especially once she got to all the books she had scavenged over the years. they kept her mind busy most days. in the end, she settled on keeping around 20 books, throwing the other 100 or so in the "sell pile." _I'll always find more books,_ she had thought.

Crow had quite a bit of caps to give her for her things, but not much. Megaton had been the place to go for trading. But now that it was gone, traders were scarce and hard to come by.

"Ever been to Tenpinny tower," Crow had asked her, seeing that she still had quite a bit left in her bag.

"No."

"Well, If you go South from here, you'll get to the old Nuca-cola plant, okay?"

Rae nodded, taking note.

"Then, go West. You'll find it easy. It's huge and hard to miss. The people there are rich. How else would you pay for those rooms? And they're things are nice and clean."

_West_, Rae thought as she turned to walk. "Okay..."

It was a day just like all the others; hot, dusty, random creatures willing to rip her head off. Nothing new or even special. Just the wasteland.

Rae had never been in this part of the wastes before. She never had too much reason to explore. Why would she? She had everything she needed where she was, especially since Megaton was so close. But things change, and things definitely had.

Rae looked to her right, where a couple of houses were still standing. They looked nice compared to everything else, nothing boarded up or falling apart beyond repair. And then it suddenly occurred to her that it was a small town. Trading being the only thing on her mind, she turned right, heading right for it.

There were two big houses, a little shack and a shed off to the side. _If there's people living here, i'm sure they have some kind of a market or something_, she thought, going up to one of the houses. She paused a moment to listen and when she heard voices, she knocked.

"Well hello," Rae heard as soon as the door opened. She hadn't had a chance to look at the woman but her voice had an extreme sweetness to it, which shocked Rae immensely. Once the door was opened all the way, Rae found herself staring at a blond woman in a suprisingly clean, pink dress.

"Welcome to Andale!"

"Andale, hm? Listen, I-"

"_That's right!_ Winner of the best town in the USA contest!" The woman's smile was large and unchanging. Rae felt momentarily confused.

"The... the what?" The woman just stood there with her big smile. "umm... how many other towns competed?"

The woman's smile faded just a little. "Well," she said, seemingly in thought. "I don't right know.." At this, the woman smiled even wider. "But WE'RE the best ones! Isn't that what matters?"

_Oh, I get it_, Rae thought. _She's fucking crazy!_ "Umm.. yeah, sure.. okay."

"Would you like to come in? You can meet my husband and my son!"

Rae thought for a moment. She was there to trade and didn't want to pass up the opportunity. If anything bad was going on, she doubted it was something she couldn't handle. Sure, the woman seemed one Nuca-Cola short of a six pack, but that didn't mean they all were.. did it?

"Yeah, okay."

"Excellent! I look forward to preparing you for dinner sometime!"

"Why thank you, I... Wait, what?.."

The woman walked away, leaving the door open for Rae. _Must have mis-spoke,_ she thought as she walked in. The living room was filled with dim lighting. The house was average and undistinguished.

"Hello there, stranger!"

Rae turned to her left to see a balding man, with graying facial hair, wearing a red, plaid shirt.

"Name's Jack Smith." He stuck his hand out to shake and Rae took it.

"Rae."

"I hear you've already met my wife," he said, in an up-beat tone. "Sweet lady, isn't she?"

"Yeah.. she's.. umm.. sweet.. Listen, I was just passing through, looking to do some trading. Clearing out my inventory. You know how it is." Rae gave a sweet smile, which Jack didn't return. "So, anyway, I was hoping to do some trading here?"

"Oh, no ma'm! We have nothing to trade here! We have everything we need here, in out perfect little town! No trading neccesary!"

"No trading? What do you mean you have everything you need? What do you do around here?"

The man suddenly looked angry."What I do is my business! I work to feed my family just like every red-blooded American man should! And any man who says anything different is saying something wrong and you should hit that man with a stick.."

"Hmm, okay." Rae backed up a little. "Well, then, if you have nothing to trade, I'll just be going."

"Come back soon, stranger!" Jack smiled and walked away. Rae stared after him in interest and confusion until she noticed a boy wearing a red cap on the other side of her, chuckling as she watched. The boy led her back to the door.

"You're new here, aren't you?"

Rae said nothing.

"I never get a chance to meet the new people. Dad always takes care of them before I do."

Again, Rae said nothing.

"Well goodbye!"

Rae stood there and stared at the door for almost a full minute. "What a bunch of freaks," she mumbled as she turned to leave.

An old man caught her eye, standing outside the small house. She stared at him for a moment before she realized, he was trying to wave her over. Curiosity took hold and Rae went to see what he wanted.

"_What_ are you doing here?" he whispered. His words were frantic, fear at his lips.

"What do you mean? Everything's fine."

"You think everything's fine? Everything is not fine! It's all a trick! Look in the basements and the shed! See for yourself!"

"No, I.. I think I'll just go.."

Rae started to walk away as the man whispered something back that she didn't hear. Why was he so scared, she thought to herself. And why did everyone seem so.. odd? She was almost out of the town when her curiosity took over again. She paused. "Maybe just a quick look."

Turning back, she walked over to the shed. The door was locked, of course. Not that it was a problem. A bobby pin was removed from her pocket, shoved into the key hole faster than you could blink. It took a second or two but soon Rae heard the satisfying click of the lock's release. A large smile spread across her face in triumph and she opened the door.

A putrid smell washed over her so suddenly, that she jumped back a little. The smell invaded her nostrills and she gagged. Trying not to throw up, she turned away to take a few deep breaths, doubled over. The smell was unmistakable. It couldn't possibly be anything else.

_Please, not that,_ she thought, eyes watering in disgust. _Anything but that. Please don't let it be-_ But it was.. Rae looked in to see bodies everywhere; hanging on the walls, laying on the ground, trapped in cages. All were dead and had been torn apart.

Rae was about to close the door when something caught her eye; a refrigerator. _But why?_ Just then, Mrs. Smith's words jumped back into her head;_ "I look forward to preparing you for dinner sometime!"_

"_Holy fuck..._" Rae took a step back. "No, no, _no_.. They're not.. are they... _eating people_?..."

"Hey, stranger."

Rae spun around, startled. It was Jack and he was holding a gun.

"I couldn't help but notice you poking around in Bill's shed."

"You sick-" Rae gagged. "Bastard! _What the fuck!_"

"Hey, hey. None of that bad language. Did you ever stop to think that I have a family to support?

Rae's jaw dropped.

"The good book says; 'judge not, least ye be judged. Just how many people have you killed?"

"Not like this! Not for.. for food!"

"We've lived like this for decades! We have to eat something! Family is everything, my friend. I wouldn't expect a wasteland wanderer like you to understand."

"How could you do this?"

"Oh, don't give me that. Everytime someone discovers our secret, we have to hear about it! Its always; 'oh, your so horrible' or 'you're bad people' or 'please, not me, I have kids in Rivit City.' Well, I have kids too! And a man who can't keep his family fed isn't any kind of man at all!"

Rae stared in shock. Not over the cannibalism but over Jack's quotes. She stood up straight, forgetting the smell stuck in her nostrils. "What did you just say? A man from Rivit City died here?"

"Sure did! He fed mine and Bill's family well, though that was about 9 years ago. I'm sure everyone has forgotten about him by now."

Suddenly, Rae kicked him, high enough to hit his head and he fell to the ground, knocking the gun from his hand. Before he had time to get up, Rae had her shot gun pressed against his throught. "_YOU SICK FUCK!_"

"Hey, stranger! Easy! No need for violence."

A few other people came out to see what all the noise was, including two adults Rae hadn't met and Jack's wife, the smile gone from her face completely and replaced with fear and worry.

Rae turned her attention to the man on the ground, staring up at her in a pleading way. "Please, don't do this. I have a family to take care of."

Rae glared down at him, with every intention of pulling the trigger on him and everyone else who ate the man from Rivit City. And she was proud to be the one to do it.

The creaking and random, loud metallic thumps were loud and overwhelming down in the market place. It was something Rae was no longer used to, though her childhood memories were being set off left and right.

Rivet City wasn't the nicest place, but it was the safest. Everything from rad roach to raider knew better than to go near there.

"Welcome to a quick-" Cindy Cantelli stopped when she looked up. "Rae! your all grown up now, aren't you?"

Rae said nothing, hating to be treated like a little kid, especially by her. She just smiled politely.

"Well, your more than old enough to try the chems! You should take a look-"

"No," Rae cut her off, hoping her polite smile hadn't turned into a sneer. "No, thank you." Rae would have usually avoided Cindy. She disgusted her in more ways than one. But Rae knew, considering her mom's condition, Cindy would point her in the right direction. "Have you seen my mother?"

"Well of course! But you and I both know she's in the Muddy Rudder." Rae's smile faded.

_Of course she is_, she thought. _Why would anything ever change?_ "Thanks."

The muddy rudder was close to empty that morning. The smell of stale booze poisoned the air and made Rae's nose burn a little.

"Rae!" Tammy was drunkenly waving at her as Rae reluctantly walked over, dragging her feet. "Where've ya been, girl?" Rae sighed

"I've been gone for almost 3 years, mom. Remember?"

"Doesn't mean you cant visit your mom every once in a while! Hey, bar keep, ya cheap whore!"

Belle looked over, glaring a little.

"Whiskey! Drinks on her!"

"Mom-"

"Well, pay the woman, wont ya?"

Rae pulled the caps out of her pocket and dropped them on the counter as Belle sat Tammy's drink down a little harder than neccesary.

"That'a girl!"

"Mom, I need to talk to you about someth-"

"So, you seen my good for nothin' son around lately?"

"He's playing near the Metro Station with C.J. Mom, I-"

"Oh yeah! Her! I tell ya, Rae, I hope she doesn't fall for his damn ass 'cuz he'll just run off too!"

"Mom, dad didn't run off, he-"

"Just like your fuck-up father! If you only remember one thing your whole life," Tammy took a long drink from her bottle, splashing half of it all over her top, though she didn't seem to notice or even mind at all. "The only good men there are ones who's had there tongue cut out and sown onto there dick!"

"Mother-"

"And even then, they'll still leave ya!"

"_Mother_!"

"What? Why the ffffffuck are ya yellin' at me, ya little fuckin-"

"I... just came to check on things.. See if anything had changed.. Apparently they haven't.."

"Why the fuck would anything change? Everything's jusssst fine! Why change a damn thing?"

Rae stood up, turning to walk away before Tammy made her buy another bottle.

"Where the fuck are you goin, girl? Runnin' off like your ol' man!"

Rae ignored her, eyes stinging, fists clinched.

"Come back here!" The door to the bar slammed behind her, leaving Rae to wonder why she even tried.

The wind blew through her hair. It was a cool morning. The sun had been hiding, taking the fire-like edge off the wasteland.

Rae had been born in Rivet City. Her mom hadn't always been like this. After her dad had left to go scavenging, Tammy soon lost hope that he would ever come back and she drowned her sorrows and hatred ever since.

James had only been 1 when it happened so he didn't remember dad or any of the good times that came before that unfortunate day. But Rae had been 8 and could remember quite a bit about him and her mother's sobriety.

Knowing what happened to her father didn't make anything better and Tammy wouldn't have listened to her even if she wasn't drunk. _As if that ever happens_, Rae thought, bitterly. Everyone knew Jo Hargrave was dead, even Tammy, but when she was drunk, she seemed to forget that all he ever wanted was to love his family.

Rae stared down at the water, several stories below her, James playing with C.J. on the sandy shore. He hadent noticed his sister.

Rae felt bad for him. She had grown up quickly and had left the ship as soon as she could fight for herself. She had wanted to ask James if he wanted to go live with her. But she knew he was a troubled boy and would be hard to deal with. Tammy wouldn't have allowed it anyway.

Rae wiped the tears from her eyes, angrily. Nothing was perfect out there. Nothing was good. Everyone was starving and struggling to survive in the post apocalyptic hell everyone had labeled as the wastes and there was nothing she could do to make anything better out there in hell. People died and were killed and picked over by those strong enough to live.

Shit happened and when it did, the pain may have been unbearable but without it, how was she to know that she was still alive.. But did she want to be? Rae didn't know anymore. Who would ever want to live like this? The only person who would notice if she disappeared was Bryan Wilks and he needed her.

Rae's feet left the ship and she was weightless. The wind rushed past her, blowing her hair back. Her heart raced and for the few seconds that she was in the air, everything was forgotten and nothing mattered.

The water felt cool, sending a small shock through her body as The Geiger Counter began to tick softly.. But 1 rad per second was nothing..

It was mid-day as she made her way West, once more. The sun had finally come out of hiding since then, unfortunately, and Rae's exposed skin was beginning to feel burnt. But her skin wasn't the only thing that was fuming.

Rae stomped through the wasteland with clinched teeth and fists, making her knuckles go white and her temples grow sore. God help any hostile creature that crossed her path that day.

Once she finally came across the Nuca-Cola plant again, she relaxed just a little, trying to forget how much of a waste of time she had created for herself.

"Excuse me, friend.."

Rae turned a little more aggressively then she had meant to to see a man, no older than her, sitting in the dust and dirt. His skin was dark; maybe from the sun. maybe from the dirt or maybe from his genetics. It was always hard to tell. For all she knew it could have been all three. But did it really matter? Why would it?

"Could you spare some water?"

_Fucking beggars_, Rae though angrily. _Why can't they all find there own damn purified water or just go into the towns they're always standing right outside of? Its not that fucking difficult!_

Rae took a deep breath, trying not to be so angry, and managed a small smile. "Sorry, friend. I don't have any purified water to spare." Rae turned to walk away.

"No, wait! I'll take dirty water!"

She turned back in mild surprise.

"If you've got it. Please, I'll die out here.."

"Well.." Rae took a quick glance through her bag. "I've only got one.. but.."

"Oh, I understand," he said, hanging his head. "If you could just shoot me than, You would really be doing me a favor. I would do it myself but I have ran out of amo."

"No, I'm not doing that.. Look.. maybe you could wait for another person?"

"There was another. A girl. But she laughed at me and asked when I thought I would die so she could come back and pick through my pockets.."

"That's horrible." Forgetting her own hatred and bitterness for a moment, Rae took the water from her bag and handed it to the man. His eyes lit up.

"Oh, thank you so much! You saved my life." He started to chug the water quickly.

"_No, no!_ Don't drink it too fast! You'll make yourself sick!"

"Oh.. okay.."

Rae sighed deeply and flopped down next to him. He smelt like he hadn't bathed in days. He must have been out there for a long time. "New to the wastes?"

"Yeah.."

"I remember when I was. You have to realize that having a place to live makes a huge difference to begin with."

"Yeah.."

"I'm Rae.. I'm from Rivet City."

"Ben," he sighed. "From Little Lamplight."

"Hmm.. That's interesting.. Usually people from Little Lamplight seem to have silly names.. Like Machete." Ben said nothing. "Do you know her?"

"Yes, but she left about a year or two after I got there."

"You weren't born there?"

"No. Most of us.. _them_.. weren't."

"Well, I've never been there. I just hear a lot about it.. What's it like?"

"There's a lot of kids.. They kick you out once you turn 16 because they don't allow adults there."

"But.. If they just kicked you out.. that would make you 16? But you look a lot older."

"Yeah, I am. I wouldn't tell them my age. They eventually assumed I was old enough."

"I don't understand.. If there are no adults, how are there a lot of kids?"

"Well.. some of them mature early and.. umm.. experiment.. That happens a lot, actually. But the baby doesn't always live and the mother is kicked out after she gives birth. Like this girl, Bittercup.. Then sometimes children are sent by adults who know where Little Lamplight is."

"So.. What happened to you?.."

Ben said nothing.

"Well, I need to get going," Rae said, standing back up.

"That thing you said about having a place to live.. I was heading toward Big Town but I got lost. Could you point me in the right direction?"

"Oh, you don't want to be there," Rae informed him. "I've heard the super mutants pick through there every couple months."

"Oh..."

"But listen, I'm actually in the process of relocating. You can have my old place?"

"Yeah?" Ben's eyes lit up again and a smile spread across his face.

"Sure. It's a nice little place. The raiders don't come by much and the caravans go through every once in a while."

"Where is it?"

"Next to Megaton ruins. If you're still here when I get back, I could take you there so you don't get lost again."

The trading in Tenpiny tower was worth it but the people weren't. Everyone was so snobby, eyeing her dirty clothes and skin in disgust and rolling their eyes at her when she asked if there was any trading. Rae couldn't understand why anyone would live there. Maybe because it was cleaner than most places in the wasteland.

Despite all the rude people, the trading was decent and she got all of her things sold for a large amount of caps. Either way, she still finished what she set out to do. Next was to see if Ben was still waiting for her.

"Okay, so over here is the kitchen and there's a bedroom over here.."

"And I can just.. have all of this?" Ben looked a little overwhelmed.

"Yeah, I'm not using it."

"This is a lot nicer than any place I've ever seen."

"Well, yeah, because you've been stuck in Lamplight. It's not all that great.. But it's better than dying out in the wastes."

"Is the place you're moving to nicer than this?"

"I suppose. It's definitely bigger. But that's not why I'm moving.."

"Oh.. Okay.. Umm.. Wheres the bathroom?"

"Well," Rae suddenly felt a little embarrassed. "There isn't one.. You'll have to go outside.."

"Okay," Ben sighed. "Still better than dieing in the wasteland.."

"Umm, also, are you good at shooting? Because you'll have to travail West just a little to bath and wash your cloths in the river.. It's not far and you may get a little radiation, but nothing dramatic."

He sat down on the bed. "Yes, I can shoot. They tough me."

He knew very little of the world that he, Rae and many others were forced to face or die. He was probably younger than her but not by much. Maybe a year, but it really didn't matter. The less you knew out there, the more likely you were to die.

Rae already had a lot to handle, aside from the thought of her father's cannibalistic death and her mother's drunken stupidity, she had promised to be there for Bryan; not only promising Bryan, but promising his father as well. She didn't have time to take care of a grown man like Ben, as much as she would have liked to. There was only so much she could do.

"Well, anyway, I have someone else waiting for me. But I left some things in the cabinet that you can go ahead and sell or trade or whatever. Do what you want but I suggest you get yourself some amo.. I'll come back to visit." Rae smiled and Ben smiled back, kindly.


	3. Chapter 3

Bryan was in bed when Rae finally got there. She had left him with food before she went to do her trading, thinking he would be fine. He had survived, what she assumed was weeks, in that tiny bomb shelter. She knew he would be okay and he was.

Bryan was lying in his bed, asleep, and Rae was happy to see him there. She had only been in the house with him for an hour or so, letting him happily show her around, pointing out what she assumed had been his dad's bed as her own.

The thought of a queen-sized mattress made her excited. She had never slept in one before. But at the same time, the thought of sleeping in the room of a dead man made her stomach clench.

She of course assumed that her old house belonged to a dead person but there wasn't a memory of a face to pop into her head every time she thought about it.. But Mr. Wilks; she had buried him, which made her feel even more strange about the situation. But then again, a bed was a bed. And a Queen size bed sounded like heaven.

Rae walked away from Bryan's bed and over to her's. It was much bigger than her last one, which was now inhabited by Ben. The room was almost twice the size as well, though she was sharing it with the young boy.

Her mind seemed to be everywhere but there. She had lost track of how many days she had been gone, only stopping to sleep once, though she felt that she had slept for almost twenty- four hours. She couldn't really be sure without knowing the time.

She could feel the burn from the sun across her neck and arms; making her flinch as she removed her armor to sleep in her shorts and t-shirt. The bed felt cool against her red, angry skin and she fell asleep almost instantly.

"Rae... Rae."

"Yeah!" Rae jerked awake violently, sitting up way too quick. Bryan was standing at her side.

"You're back!"

"Yes." Rae lay back down slowly, rubbing her eyes. "I am."

"It seemed like you were gone for days! I thought... you may not come back."

"Yeah, I'm sorry I was gone for so long. I had a lot to take care of. Was everything okay here?"

"Yes, everything was fine. Thank you for leaving food."

"No problem." Rae yawned and turned over, meaning to go back to sleep. The sun was shining through the boarded up windows and it was hot in the house. Sweat covered her and she just wanted to sleep through it.

"Rae?"

"Yes?"

"Could you.. maybe.. fix me lunch? The only food that's left needs to be cooked and I don't know how.."

She had had enough sleep to be able to at least see straight for the next couple hours or so. She could always take a nap later.

It was already hot in the house. Turning the stove on wasn't going to make it better. But Bryan was right. The only food left was Mirelurk and mole rat meat and Rae hadn't taken the time to cook it yet. The mole rat would taste better, so that's what she grabbed.

"See, you just put it in the pot and let it cook till it's brown," she explained to him, absently. "You'll have to turn the meat over a couple times but it doesn't take long."

Bryan was sitting at the kitchen table. He said nothing to this and just let her cook. "You have a sunburn," he informed her.

"I do."

"Pa used to run me a cold bath when I got burnt. Maybe it will help."

"Maybe.."

Rae moved the cooked meat to a plate and put it down in front of him with a fork.

"Thank you," he said quietly as he stabbed at the meat, not really eating it.

"Is something wrong?"

"I was just wondering... was my dad here?.. In the house?"

Rae took a deep breath and sat down across from him. He didn't look up. "Yes, he was in the living room."

"How did he... He didn't.. kill himself, did he?"

"No."

"Oh.. Good.. Where is he now?"

"I buried him."

"Outside?"

"Yes. In the back."

"Could I... Maybe.. Go see him?"

"Of course. But after you eat, okay?"

"Okay.."

Bryan eat quickly, staring down at his plate the whole time. The tension in the room was difficult to sit through. Rae almost got up and went back to bed. But that seemed extremely heartless, and so she remained at the table.

When Bryan was done eating, he stood up, waiting for Rae to lead him to his father's grave.

You could still see the spot where the two holes had been dug. The earth still looked freshly turned. Bryan stared at them both for a moment before turning to Rae, who was standing behind him. "Which one is him?"

"That one." Rae pointed to the grave on the right.

"So, then.. Who is that one," he asked, pointing to the left.

"Those are.. umm.. ants.."

"Oh.." He stared to the left for a moment before taking a step over to the right.

Rae watched as he got down to sit on his knees, hanging his head. He sat there for a good hour, not saying a word, just sitting. She thought she noticed him crying a couple times but he never wiped away any tears. She wasn't sure whether to comfort him or not, so she just stood there, waiting for him.

When he was ready, he stood and turned around, looking up at her. He walked over and gave her a hug. Rae wasn't really expecting this but she hugged him back just the same.  
>"Thank you," she heard him whisper into her stomach. She hugged him tighter before leading him back to the house.<p>

When they got inside, Bryan walked up stairs and Rae followed him. "I think I'll just get to bed," he informed her, laying on top of his blanket.

"Okay.. Do you want a water.. or a soda.. or anything," Rae asked, trying not to feel awkward.

"No, thank you."

Rae sighed, grabbed a book out of one of her boxes of things and went downstairs.

Bryan stayed in bed all day. He wasn't always asleep. Every couple hours, Rae could hear him crying. When she brought some dinner up to him that night, he was awake but said he wasn't hungry and asked for a Nuca-Cola instead.

Rae wasn't really sure why she was there. Maybe because the only other bars she knew of were The Muddy Rudder, which was out of the question, and Moriarty's Saloon, which was now non-existent.

She hadn't intended on going to the bar. It started out that day as just a walk. She had woken up pretty early that morning and felt like she needed to stretch her legs. Making sure to let Bryan (who was still laying in bed) know she would be back, she left.

She really didn't feel like she should leave, at first anyway. Bryan was clearly depressed and in a vulnerable place. But then again, he may have needed time alone, and he didn't seem to be upset or object when she said good bye.

It was pretty mellow out that morning. There were very few hostile creatures who crossed her path. She had reached a little over a mile and decided she wasn't tired, so she continued. One step led to another and she found herself outside the building, thinking she could use a drink.

She wasn't much of a drinker but it relaxed her a bit, and so, there she was. There weren't a lot of people in there. Maybe people at Tenpenny Tower were too proper to drink old, stale alcohol. At least the bartender couldn't judge her, being a robot and all.

Rae sat down at the bar, ignoring the one or two snobby glasses.

"Care to wet your whistle?" _Poor Shakes sounds like he needs a tune up._

"Just a beer, thanks."

The robot put her drink on the counter and it was cold. _It's actually cold. There's always a first for everything, she thought as she opened the bottle._ It was stale of course, and tasted watered down. _But who cares? It's cold!_

"I'll have what she's having!"

Rae looked to her right. She had been so distracted by her actually cold drink that she hadn't noticed the pretty, young girl who had sat down right next to her.

She had blond hair that fell past her shoulders and blue eyes that shined in the light of the bar. Her skin was light and.. Dirty.. She was filthy; straight out of the wastes. Leather armor covered in dry mud and dust.

"How'd you get past security dressed like that?" Rae teased, trying to make conversation.

The woman smiled. "How did you?"

"Said I was here on business.. It wasn't a lie. You?"

She opened her beer. "Same. To business and cold drinks!" She held out her bottle and Rae took the hint, completing her toast with a heavy glass clunking sound.

The woman through her head back, taking in most of the bottle. She looked familiar, almost from a distant memory or a long forgotten dream. She probably just had one of those typical pretty-girl-faces. Blue eyed blonds weren't rare.

Rae felt silly, sipping her beer while this female wastelander chugged her's down all at once. "Rough day?"

"You bet your ass! Cleared out a family of Deathclaws today!"

"Oh, good lord! You do need a drink! Let me buy you another."

"Oh, how sweet of you." she smiled again.

_So familiar..._

Rae gave a small laugh. "It's no trouble at all."

"I'm Alixx. Alixx Fleck."

"Rae Hargrave."

Alixx opened her second beer. "As in Tammy and James Hargrave?" she responded casually.

"Yeah! How do you-"

"I've been through Rivet City. Tammy's.. Uhh.. Not easy to miss, I'll tell you that."

Rae chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

"You her kid?"

"... Yep"

"Not much of a drinker, are you? Pretty shocking."

Rae smiled. "I get that a lot."

"Be proud, Rae. Those are some strong genes you managed to miss!" Alixx threw her head back again, this time only taking a couple drinks before tipping it back up-right and setting it on the bar.

"So, what do you do," Rae asked

"I'm a hired gun."

Rae couldn't help but laugh .

"What?" Alixx laughed a little too, giving a small half-smile.

"Nothing.. That's just... Funny.. It fits, you know? You look like a contract mercenary."

"Well, sweetheart, you got me pegged. What about you?"

"I'm just... A stay-at-home-mom for the most part." Rae took a long drink.

"See, now, that doesn't fit."

"What?"

"First of all, you are not home."

Rae smiled, unable to stop herself. _That's the fucking truth_, she thought.

"Second, that combat shotgun on your back is not something a 'stay-at-home-mom' would be just carrying around. Not to mention the huge pack you've got with you. And there, you're a mess. We both are, but see, I'm a mercenary. I'm supposed to be."

Rae said nothing.

"No.. Your more of the scavenger type.. Pregnancy must have hit you hard, hmm?"

"Something like that..."

Alixx finished her drink as Rae watched her out of the corner of her eye. She just had this way about her; the way she spoke, the way she held herself.. Like she knew everything. Like she had done everything, most of those things immoral and horrible. Things you only see in nightmares and could never forget, no matter how much booze you could get your hands on. She was dangerous, and Rae felt it, no doubt about that.

"You do what you have to," Alixx sighed, almost as if she were reading Rae's mind. "Times are hard, the wasteland is cruel, and the wastelanders are even more so. Don't ever forget that."

Rae gave a small nod.

"Well, my friend, it was nice talking to you." She put her hand briefly on Rae's shoulder.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to see a man about a zombie. See you around."

Another short nod from Rae and Alixx was gone, bad vibes and all.

She didn't seem like a horrible person, though it was clear she had done some horrible things. But she said it best; times were tough and all that noise.. At any rate, Alixx wasn't someone Rae wanted around Bryan.

Rae took her last drink, setting the empty bottle aside as she looked up at the metal bartender. "Another, please."

So cold...

"_Hayyyyy_!" Rae giggled when Ben opened the door.

"Hello," he said raising an eyebrow at her. "Do you want to come in?"

Rae giggled stupidly. "Okay." Rae took a few steps forward, into the small house and he closed the door.

"You smell.. like beer.. Are you drunk?"

Rae spun around to look at him. "Nope! Not really, just a little buzzed."

"Aww.. Okay then.. why don't you come sit down." He led her to his bed and Rae giggled.

"This used to be my bed!" She flopped down and Ben handed her a water.

"Yep.."

"I'm sorry if I'm being obnoxious.. I just feel silly. I'm really not drunk."

"I believe you."

Rae took a drink, giggling a little. "So, how are things?"

"Oh, just fine. The trading caravan came through yesterday, so I got some amo and some food." Ben sat down next to her. He was cleaner this time, dust, dirt and mud scrubbed from his skin and clothes. His skin was dark, it turned out. The dirt had almost nothing to do with it. She wanted to touch his skin. It looked so smooth to her, so inviting..

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" Rae put her hand down. She had begun to reach out to touch him without really realizing it.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." Rae drank the water in her hand, taking deep breaths in between sips. "I don't want Bryan to see me this way."

"Bryan? Who's that?"

"This little boy... I live with him now."

"Little boy? What do you mean?"

"He's like.. ten or eleven.. I haven't asked really."

"Why are you living with him? He's not your brother, is he? Because I would hope that if he was, you would know his age..."

"No. His dad died.. I've just been making sure he's fed and safe and stuff like that."  
>"So.. You adopted him. That's.. nice of you.."<p>

"Yeah, I guess.. I wasn't doing it to be nice." Rae leaned forward, propping her shoulders on her knees and her forehead in her hands.

"Then why did you?"

"Because it was the right thing to do. Because he was alone and scared and..." Rae rubbed her eyes with her palms. "He's just a little kid... and I don't know what to do with him."

"Aw."

"And maybe also because I understand."

"Do you?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, maybe that's a good thing. I mean, It's bad that you know what it's like to feel alone and scared, but if you didn't, where would he be now?"

"Ugh!" Rae grunted, pressing her palms into her eyes. "I really don't want to think about that.."

"Understandable.."

Rae sat up. "Can I ask you.. How did you end up in Lamplight?"

Ben said nothing. He just sat there as if she hadn't said anything at all. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Okay.."

Ben stood up and disappeared around the corner. She could hear him from the kitchen; pots and pans bumping into each other, the refrigerator opening and then closing a couple times, Ben humming to himself softly.

Rae leaned back in the bed. It felt nice, familiar, almost like she was home again, even with someone banging around in the kitchen. She pushed those thoughts out of her head, afraid she may start to regret staying with Bryan. She wasn't going to back out. Not now. Not after promising to be there for him and then everything that happened the previous day.

"Here you go!" Ben came back in with two bowls and a smile on his face.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Rae said, sitting back up quickly.

"For what? Laying on the bed?" Ben laughed a little and walked over to sit next to her. "It's fine." He handed her a bowl.

It didn't look like anything she had ever had before. Food out there was limited and there was only so much you could use as food. "What is this?"

"I call it Noodles and dog meat."

"What's that?"

"... Noodles and dog meat! With a couple of other things thrown in.. Try it! You'll like it!"

Rae took a bite. It was good. Really good.. "Oh my god! How are you doing that?" She took another bite. And another and another until she was eating so fast she hardly had time to swallow.

"Don't choke!" Ben laughed a little, taking small bites out of his own bowl.

"I... have... never... tasted... anything... this... good."

"Okay, okay. Eat with your mouth closed.."

Rae practically licked the bowl before handing it back to Ben. "You should open a restraint or something," She informed him.

Ben chuckled. "Ben's Eats! So good you'll freak out and lick the bowl!"

Rae blushed a little. "No, really! All my life I've basically just been eating to live. I don't know anything could taste that good."

"Yeah.. I was the cook at Little Lamplight." He got up and walked over to the kitchen to put the bowls away. "You should probably get home before dark," he called from the other room. "The sun's going down."

Rae shook her head, as if he could see it. She knew she smelled like alcohol and she didn't want to go home like that. She dealt with her mother for too long to allow Bryan to be exposed to anything similar.

Ben came back around the corner to the bedroom.

"I really don't want Bryan to see me this way," She confessed.

"But you seem fine now.."

"But I know I'm really not. I know I smell like beer and... and I just don't want to go home yet.. But if you want me to go, I will. I understand."

"No," Ben sighed and sat back down beside her again. "You gave me a place to stay to keep me safe, so I don't mind doing the same for you for tonight, if you want."

"I don't want to be any trouble.."

"It's no trouble."

Rae said nothing. She just sat there, staring at her feet.

"Is something wrong?"

"Just this woman I met today.. Just something she said."

"What did she say?"

"That you do what you have to to survive.. That times are hard, the wasteland is cruel but not as cruel as all the people in it."

"Yeah?."

"I don't like that."

"But she's right."

"I know, but.. not everyone is, right?.. I mean.. I'm not.. And you aren't."  
>"That's true. But most people are."<p>

She knew he was right. Out there, the mean ones were usuly the strongest. They survive, while the nice people are killed and disappear into the wastes. Rae knew he was right, but she didn't want him to be. She didn't want it to be true.

Tears formed in her eyes and she wiped them away quickly so he wouldn't see.

"So," Ben tried to break the tension and change the subject. "How are we going to do this?"

"What?"

"Well, I would sleep on the ground, of course, but there's only one blanket."

"...Oh.."

"Yeah, and you know as well as I do that it gets cold at night."

"Well.. Umm.. You could sleep in the bed."

"What about you?"

"I could too I guess.."

The little twin sized mattress was small and barely fit them both. They had to lay really close to each other, back to back to keep from falling off.

"Can i ask you a persanal question?" Rae asked, alittle embarresed.

"Haven't you already?"

Rae smiled "Were you ever.. With anyone?"

"You mean in Lamplight?"

"Yeah."

"Like.. Just as a girlfriend?"

"Umm.. No.."

Ben chuckled a little. "No. All the girls were pretty psychologically immature. Like they thought all the boys had some kind of boy germ that they might catch. It was really stupid.. What about you?"

"Nope, never had a girlfriend," Rae said playfully.

Ben laughed. "You know what I meant!"

"No. I was so busy trying to grow up and be strong enough and smart enough to be out on my own. Let's just say my family is less than functional. I never really took the time to have fun or meet somone with _those_ intentions."

"Why can't you now?"

Rae shifted a little, feeling uncomfortable with the question.

"I dont know... There's a lot going on. I've ben taking care of Bryan lately. It's a lot of work, you know? Taking care of a damaged kid like that."

"Is that all you ever do? Just walk through the wasteland helping people like that?"  
>"Pretty much."<p>

"You should learn to take care of yourself before you make all these commitments."

"I don't know what I would do with myself if I took time to be alone. Ever since that vault chick's been running around causing shit, I feel like I need to make things better."

"Oh, vault 101 girl? I've been listening to three dogs complain about her.. But you shouldn't feel responsible for the things she's done."

It was quiet for a long time after that. Rae thought he may have fallen asleep. It was cold, even under the blanket, but his back was warm. And she snuggled closer to him.

"May I hold you," Ben whispered in the dark.

"Okay..."

He turned over so that the front of him was aginst her back and his arm was around her waist. It felt nice, warm and soft, bringing up other emotions Rae had never felt and couldn't identify. Happiness was one.

Rae had never felt a man's embrace other that the times her dad had hugged her. But that was so long ago and this was definititely different. He felt sweet and soft and so perfect, not like anything you could ever find in the wastes. This was special and she felt that. He was different and she didn't want to ever leave his arms.

But these feelings bothered her. She didn't know him and she felt that she should know better than to become vaulnerable to him, or any other person for that matter. She never wanted to get hurt. Who does? No one wakes up one day and says to themself, "Today, I think I'll purposely let my heart be ripped out, and then cry myself to sleep tonight."

"Goodnight," he whispered, right aginst her neck, breaking her from her thoughts. His breath was hot and chills ran down her spine.

"Night," she whispered back, and soon drifted off.

_She's on top of Rivet City, looking down into the water and out into the wasteland. She can see all the way across in every direction and Ben is next to her, smiling. She tries to say something but she can't. Her throat is to tight._

_"Jump." Ben takes her hand and without thinking, her feet leave the ship. Feet first, pointed at the water, they land gracefully and all the water around them splashes up and out across the wastes. And everything is green. Trees grow tall, grass growing thick and birds chirp in every direction just like she reads in her scavinged books. Everything is lush and beautiful and nothing like the harsh wasteland before._

_And then she appears In the distance; far in the distance but still clear as if she were standing right infront of Rae. Her blond hair falls over the back of her blue 101 jumpsuite. She is facing the other way with a flammer propped up on her shoulder._

_And everything is red. Flames engulf the trees and the grass smolders under their feet. The birds stop chirping and the woman in blue is smiling. Rae can't see her face but she know who she is._

_Ben puts his arms around her, and her face is buried between her neck and shoulder. She wants to scream but her throat is even tighter. She can barely breath and all she can hear is laughing; shrill, evil, female laughter. And everying feels like hell._

Rae woke up gasping in a cold sweat, like she had been running, finding herself lying in a different position than she reemembered falling asleep in. Her and Ben were laying with their chests presed up together and they both had there arms wrapped around each other. Rae was laying on her right arm, which had gone numb some time during the night.

He was awake and seemed to have been watching her sleep. When he saw that she was awake, he pulled her closer to him.

"Good morning," he whispered. She could hear the smile in his voice. "It's just past sun up. I've only ben awake for a couple minutes."

"What... Happened last night?"

Ben gave a small laugh. "Nothing," he asured her. "You turned around in the middle of the night. That's all. You wer probably just cold."

"Oh.. Okay." Rae sat up, stretching, trying to forget her nightmare. "I should get back to Bryan. I was only planning to stay for the night."

Ben looked disappointed. Almost like he had expected her to stay for breakfast. Or something else, Rae thought, nervously.

Ben touched her hand gently. "Are you sure you have to go? You could stay..."  
>"No, I really do need to get back. I'm sorry."<p>

"Don't be sorry." Ben sat up beside her in the small bed. "I'll walk you out then."


	4. Chapter 4

Again, the smell of something burning invaded Rae's nostrils as soon as she opened the door to the Wilks' house. But the burning didn't came from human flesh this time.

_Thank god._

But from actual food.

Burnt things are forever going to remind me of this ghost town, she thought as she closed the door behind her and walked into the kitchen. Smoke filled the air andBryanwas standing in the middle of it all.

When he spotted her, he smiled with excitement. "Look," he said, pointing to the stove. "I'm cooking."

"Yeah!" Rae rushed over and turned the stove off, where two pieces of meat that once belonged to a mierlerk, sat, burnt to a blackened crisp. "You sure were! But honey, next time cook it a little... less.."

"Okay!" the little boy beamed in self-satisfaction and pride. "Do you want to eat with me?"

"Oh.. no, sweety.. I'm.. umm.. not hungry. Thanks."

"Where were you all night?" he asked as he sat at the table with a mouth full of crunchy, blackened food.

"Visiting a friend."

"Which friend?"

"His name's Ben."

"Can I meet him?"

"Well see.. How were things here?"

"Good."

"Good. I'm going to go take a bath, okay? Try not to burn anything, please."

Bryan smiled. "Okay."

Rae walked out of the kitchen, wandering what happened while she was gone to make him so much less depressed. _Maybe he just needed some time to himself_, she thought.

"Rae!" Ben smiled wide when he opened the door, excited to see her again, but then took a deep breath to calm himself and was glad that she hadn't noticed. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing.. Listen.." Rae blushed a little. "I'm sorry about the other night.. That was really-"

"Don't be sorry."

Rae stared.

"I mean.. I don't regret letting you stay, so why should you be sorry?"

"It just seemed.. inappropriate.. I guess.. I had been drinking, you know?"

"Do you want to come in?"

Rae stepped inside, feeling a little silly for being there at all. She really didn't have more to say to him, other than how much of an idiot she thought she was.

"How's Bryan? Still having trouble?"

"He's okay, I think.. Learning how to cook.."

"That's good...

There was an awkward silence as they stood there beside each other. Rae was feeling uncomfortable. "Well, I better get going."

"Wait!"

Rae looked at him, feeling impatient but trying to relax.

"Do you want to.. go to the river?.. or something?"

"For what?"

"Nothing. Just... You know..."

"Oh." Rae blushed a little, feeling flattered and embarrassed at the same time. "You mean like.. a date?"

"I was hoping not to be too childish about it, but yeah... A date."

"I'm not sure. I still have a bit of a sun burn and I've been leavingBryana lot."

"Well, bring him with you. And we don't have to go swimming."

"I guess I could. I'm sure he hasn't seen much of the wasteland outside of Grayditch."

"Great!" Ben smiled widely again, unable to contain himself. "How about three days from now? That should give your burn time to heal all the way, right?"

"I think so."

"So, in the morning?"

"Sure."

"Who?"

"Ben. You know... I mentioned him yesterday morning."

"How far is the lake?"

"About a mile West of here. But we'll be goingNorth Westto meet him."

"I don't think I want to go. The wasteland is dangerous.. That's what Pa always said."

"It'll be okay. Don't you trust me?"

Rae could seeBryanconsidering her question. They were upstairs, sitting on their beds, talking. Rae was starting to think she should have started off with "Hey, were going to the river in a couple days, okay?" and not "Do you want to come hang out with me and Ben at the river in a couple days," like she had. Too late now.

"I trust you," he replied after a moment. "But I don't trust the things that are out there."

"Don't be afraid. I have a gun and plenty of amo. Nothing's going to happen to us. And besides, you should get out a little more, instead of being cooped up in here all the time."

"But it's safe here."

"You're safe with me."

"Is he nice?"

"He is."

"Okay," he said. "I've never been to the river. Promise I won't get hurt?"

"I promise."

Three days seemed to go by quickly. A little too quickly. A small part of Rae really didn't want to see Ben. She was so embarrassed about the night she had spent at his place. But it was only an extremely small part of her that didn't want to go. The rest of her couldn't wait. Her heart raced at the thought of seeing him again.

But she didn't feel that she had the time to be in a relationship, not that she would know anything about being in one. She already had a lot to think about and deal with. The realization of her father's death haunted her. She tried to keep it far from her mind at night, so that she wouldn't dream about it, and she hadn't been.. Yet. She hoped she wouldn't at all.

Bryan flinched every time she pulled the rigger. He wasn't sure whether he should be using her as a shield and stay behind her or walk in front for protection from behind. Though, there wasn't a lot attacking them, his anxiety was clearly high and Rae made a mental note not to do this again.

At some point, he decided it was a good idea to walk backwards behind her so that he could see if anything was coming. But he kept walking slow and would jump even more dramatically at the sound of gun fire.

Rae was happy to see Ben and she tried to tell herself not to forget to ask him if he could walk them home to putBryana little more at ease.

"Hey!" Ben called, waving them over and hugging Rae when they got there.

Ben got down on one knee so that they were eye-level withBryan. "How old are you?"

"Eight."

Eight, Rae thought, feeling her stress level jump. He's eight! Holy shit!

"What's your name?"

"...Bryan."Bryan sounded annoyed with Ben. Ben must have heard it too because he looked up at Rae for guidance.

Rae shook her heard quickly, silently trying to tell him not to treat Bryan like a child. Ben must have understood. He stood up slowly, still smiling.

"So, Bryan, you wanna go swimming?"

"Yeah!"

"Hold on, sweetheart," Rae said digging through her bag for some Rad-X pills. She handed Bryan two.

"What's this?" He looked down at them in his hand.

"They'll keep you from getting sick," Ben said, looked up at Rae for reassurance.

"He's right." She told him. "It's to keep you from getting radiation."

"I already scouted the area for mierlerks," Ben informed her as Bryan popped the pills into his mouth.

"Can I go in now?" he asked, looking up at Rae. She smiled.

"Yes."

The young boy ran out into the water, splashing as he did so. Rae turned back to Ben. "Did you find any?"

"Yeah, but they're dead now. I pulled the bodies off to the side so he wouldn't see them."

"Great. Thanks." Rae flopped down in the dirt, taking her boots off to relax. Ben sat down next to her.

"How are things?"

"Insane," Rae replied low enough so that Bryan couldn't hear her. "I didn't know he was eight, by the way. I thought he was eleven or something."

"Yeah, I remember."

"And that day I went home after spending the night, he was cooking and almost burned the place down."

"I'm sure you're just stressed out and exaggerating."

"Barely. I just don't know how to take care of a kid. My mother barely took care of me and my brother. I don't know what I'm doing."

"You're doing fine. He's alive, isn't he? Have you been feeding him?"

"Yes."

"Then don't worry. Do you want to go swimming?"

"No, not yet." "Are you okay?"

"Yes.. No... I should have asked how old he is."

"Just relax. Everything is fine." Ben smiled.

Rae took a deep breath. "How are things for you?" She asked, trying to take the spot light off her.

"Great. I've been teaching myself to hunt. The people in Little Lamplight taught me how to shoot, I just never really shot something living before."

"That's good."

"Yeah, I've gotten hurt a couple times, but I've been stocking up on stimpacks from the caravans, so nothing seriously troubling has happened. At least I have some food. And I've been taking empty bottles down to the river for water."

"Your radiation levels must be pretty high then.."

"No, I've been keeping a handle on it.. Thanks again for the house."

"Don't worry about it."

"No, If you hadn't came along, I would have died."

She didn't say anything, instead she just watched Bryan play, splashing around and throwing rocks into the water.

"I owe you my life, Rae."

"Thank Bryan. He was the one who asked me to stay with him. I would still be living where you're at if he hadn't" She still wasn't really looking at him.

"Yeah, but he didn't give me a place to live. And you didn't have to give it to me." Rae felt his hand on hers. It was warm and rough. Calices pressed against the back of her fingers and she loved it.

Rae had never had these feelings before, and she didn't want them, but she didn't want to stop him. She wanted to lean over and kiss him, and she was afraid if she looked at him, she might. So she didn't.

"I want to repay you," he said, almost in a whisper. He felt really close to her, even though he was almost an arm's length away. Rae felt like she was going to melt right into the dirt.

"Okay, how 'bout going swimming?" She jumped up, away from him, afraid of what she might do next or what he might say next to make her go crazy. She knew he wasn't doing it on purpose.

"Okay." He smiled warmly and stood up, taking off his combat armor.

Rae tried not to watch as she took of her leather armor until she was only wearing a small, gray tank top and shorts. And then she looked over at him.

He was also wearing shorts, but no shirt. He was thin, but not scrawny, with no dramatically defined muscle. The skin that had been hiding under his shirt was just as dark as the rest of him, as if he walked around shirtless all the time. His hip down, chest and upper arms were rather pronounced; he noticed and she had to look away again.

She felt him lightly put his hand on her back, not pushing her, but inviting her to walk to the water with him. She did, surprised her legs didn't just collapse under her.

The water was cool in the typical hot day. And she couldn't stop stealing glances over at him.

He walked them home at mid-day, making Bryan seem a little more relaxed, but not much. There was no dramatic difference.

"You guys should come over for dinner," Ben said to Bryan when they got to Grayditch. "Rae loves my food. I bet you would too." Rae felt herself blush again.

"Okay."Bryan answered quietly, looking up at him.

"Oh, and I have something for you!" Ben reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small, blue toy car. "I got it from one of the traders."

"Thanks!"Bryan smiled, taking the toy from him and Ben patted him on the back.

"Bryan, go inside," Rae said. "I'll be in in a moment, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Ben!"

"Thank you," Rae said to Ben as Bryan closed the door.

"For what?"

"For inviting us to the river and giving him a toy. That was sweet of you."

"Oh, It's not a problem." Ben stepped toward her a little and her heart rate jumped.

"And... Thank you for not thinking I'm completely crazy for taking care of him."

"You aren't." Ben put one of his hands on her hip. She suddenly noticed he was much taller than her, by almost a foot, it seemed, and he was looking down into her eyes.

His eyes were a deep, dark brown, almost black. They sparkled and shined and Rae was trying not to get lost in them. He smelt like gun polish and sulfur and the river.

"Well," Rae said, feeling her face getting redder. "Good night." She stood on the tips of her tows and kissed him briefly on the cheek.

Ben smiled, his cheeks turning a little bit darker. He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Is it okay if I see you again?"

"Yes," Rae said, pulling away slowly from his embrace.

"Okay... Goodnight."

"Did you like him?"

Rae and Bryan were both sitting on her bed. Bryan was playing with his new (and as far as Rae knew, his only) toy.

"He's really nice... But.."

"What?"

"What's wrong with his skin?"

"His skin? What do you mean?"

"I didn't want to ask in front of him. Pa used to tell me it's rude to do that.. But why is he so dark? What happened to him?"

"Bryan... He's black."

"No, he's more like... Brown."

Rae giggled a little, unable to stop herself.

"What?"

"Sweetheart, that's just another skin color. Like, we're white and hes black. It's very common. Haven't you ever seen a black person before?"

Bryan shook his head. "There's more of them?"

"Of course!"

"I've never been outside of Grayditch before. Today was the first time. Everyone here told me that it wasn't safe."

"Well, They're right. It's not safe if you're out there by yourself but if me or Ben are with you, then it's okay."

Bryan didn't say anything. He just sat on Rae's bed, rolling the wheels of his toy car back and forth over the mattress.

"Do you think you'll be okay if I leave you here tomorrow to go see Ben?"

Bryan nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. And I promise I won't burn anything. How long will you be gone?"

"I'll be back before the sun goes down, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I Promise."

"Hey there, friend," Crow greeted her. She was happy to have seen a caravan on her way to Ben's. She had brought a pocket full of caps just incase she did. "Did you find the tower okay?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you for the tip."

"I was glad to help! Now, what can I do for you?"

"Lets see... Give me all your meat and some purified water if you have it. Are you carrying any Rad-X today?"

"I sure am."

"Great, some of that too, and all the shot gun shells you have."

"Alright, that'll be 204 caps, please."

Crow's caravan guard watched Rae count out the bottle caps as Crow dropped all her purchases into her bag for her.

"Did you hear what happened at Tenpenny Tower just yesterday," Crow asked, dropping the last of the bromin steak into her pack.

"No."

"Well, Three Dog says that that vault 101 woman helped kill everyone there."

"Of course she did," Rae sighed, sarcastically. No more cold drinks for me.

"Yeah, apparently a bunch of ghouls live there now."

"That's real nice. Have you ever met her? What's she like in person?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't know what she looks like. I may have met her once or twice. Three Dog never broadcasts her name."

"You'd think he would," The caravan guard spoke up, arms folded across his chest. "That way everyone could at least steer clear of her... Or shoot her ass. God knows I'd like to."

"Well, thank you for another heads up. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Of course! Keep yourself armed!"

Crow and his guard walked away, his pack bromin trailing behind them.

"That's just perfect," Rae mumbled to herself. "Fucking vault whore has to ruin everything."

"Hey." Ben smiled at Rae, standing in the door-way happily. "You're just in time for lunch. Would you like to join me?"

"Yeah, okay." Rae smiled sweetly as she walked into the house, closing the door behind her. A dog was sitting in the kitchen with it's tongue hanging out. His tail wagged happily.

"That's Max. I found him wandering around last night.," he said, handing her a bowl and spoon. "And this is Mialerk soup."

It wasn't as good as his dog meat and noodles, but it was still eatable, witch was more than she could say for most of the things she had eaten in her life.

"Did you hear about the lone wanderer's newest contribution," Ben asked, making conversation. "It's all over GNR."

"You mean the manslaughter that happened up at Tenpenny Tower? Yeah, I heard just this morning."

"Have you ever been there?"

"Yeah."

"What's it like?"

"Well, to be honest, everyone was so snobby and rude. It's sad that they were all killed, but still, they were not nice."

"That's too bad."

Rae drank the rest of the soup and walked over to put the bowl in the sink.

"I'm glad you came to see me," He continued. "It's pretty lonely out here. I'm so use to all the people in Lamplight." He scratched the dog behind the ears. "At least Max kept me company last night. I think I'll keep him. But it's still not the same. Human companionship is different, you know?"

"Yeah, I do.. What are you feeding him?"

"Bromin, mole rat-"

"Dog meat?" Rae smiled, playfully.

"No!" Ben laughed. "That's horrible!"

She watched Ben petting the dog. Max licked his hand once or twice as he leaned into him.

"So, how's that little boy of yours?" Ben asked. "Is he liking his new toy?"

"Yeah, he was playing with it until he went to bed last night."

"Good, because I have another one for him." Ben walked into the bedroom and Max followed him. They both came back a moment later. "It just dried," Ben informed her and he dropped the toy into her hand.

It was another little toy car. The shape was the same but it had been painted; yellow with a black racing stripe down the middle.

"Wow," Rae said, turning it over in her hand. "This is cool. He'll really like it."

"Yeah?" Ben smiled, looking pleased with himself. "I found a paint gun in a raider camp and bought some toy cars off of Crow. He just came through here about an hour ago. They were really cheap."

"Yeah, the demand for toy cars is pretty low out here." She put the little car in her pocket as Max walked over to lay down by the front door.

"Come on," Ben said, taking her hand and leading her into the bedroom where they sat down on the bed.

"Ben, I want to ask you something.. And I want you to answer this time and not ignore me."

Ben sighed. "Okay."

"What happened? How were you sent to Lamplight?"

Ben said nothing. He opened his mouth to speak a couple times but nothing came out.

"My father..." Rae started then stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. She hadn't talked about it with anyone yet and it was still painful to her. But Ben's story was also clearly painful for him, so she continued.

"I grew up in Rivet City and... My father left one day when I was really little to do some scavenging and trading.. And he never came back."

"What happened to him. Or do you not know?"

"No... I know what happened.. There's a town East of Tenpenny Tower called Andale.. It was... Full of cannibals."

"Did you find him there?"

"No. They... umm... ate him.."

Ben said nothing.

"I guess he stumbled across the town and the residents there ate him."

"How do you know that?"

"Because they told me."

"What did you do?" Ben sounded shocked.

"Well... I killed them. Not all of them! There were two children hiding in they're houses when I did it. And an old man. I didn't hurt them."

"Oh." Ben was silent for a moment. "Have you ever heard of Rockopolis?"

"Like... as in 'The Adventures of Herbert "Daring" Dashwood?'"

"Sort of. It was actually a real place."

"Oh?"

"That's where I'm from."

"What happened?"

"It was a secret, hidden city... but the slavers found it, I guess. I was only one or so. Anyway, I guess they must have missed me. From what I was told in Little Lamplight, A man brought me there. Someone they didn't recognize as being from Lamplight. I guess he told the children there that he found me, almost starved in the rock cave.. That's really all I know about it. I wanted to find Rockopolis when I left Lamplight but I didn't know where to start. I have no memory of anything before I was three or four. My earliest memory is sitting on the floor in the Lamplight caves."

"I'm so sorry. I wish I could help."

"You already did."

Rae blushed a little and Ben put his arm around her waist. "Stay the night here with me tonight. It was so nice the last time."

"Oh, Ben! No... I shouldn't"

"Well, it's okay if you don't want to. I understand."

"No, it's not that. I do want to, it's just that I promised Bryan I'd be home before dark. In fact, I should probably go soon."

"Okay." Ben didn't let go of her and Rae didn't try to stand up. She didn't want to go.

"I'll walk you out," he whispered almost in her ear.

_His lips are so close..._

Finally, Ben stood up, taking both her hands and pulling her to her feet. She stood and he put his arms around her waist so that she was standing, pressed up against him, head on his shoulder. She put her arms around his neck. He felt soft and warm. Her heart was racing and she could feel his beating hard too, though his breathing was slow and steady. Rae listened, making her feel like she could fall asleep right there in his arms.

They stood there comfortably for almost 5 minutes before she tilted her head back to look at him.

Her eyes met his and they closed them, pressing there foreheads against each other.

"Come back to me tomorrow," Ben whispered.

_So close..._

"I have to see you again."

"Okay," Rae replied in less than a whisper, almost forgetting to breath.

Rae's eyes were still closed when, suddenly, his lips were pressed against hers. They were soft and warm and gentle. Rae didn't want it to stop. He held her even closer, holding her up because she had gone weak in his arms, the way she had been fighting with herself not to. But now that she was in the situation she had been avoiding, she couldn't remember why she had been avoiding it.

"Cool,"Bryan exclaimed, taking the toy car from her.

Rae was still in a bit of a haze. Everything still felt like a dream. He was all she could think about. Him and the next day, when she planned on seeing him again. She hadn't wanted to leave, but she forced herself to. She promised to be back at home before the sun went down, and so she was.

"How was everything while I was gone today," she asked, leaning against the doorway. "Did you eat anything?"

"Yeah, that woman came by again and brought me some food. She stayed and talked with me for a while too."

Rae stared in shock. "That woman?... What woman?"

"The woman who got rid of the ants for me. Remember?"


	5. Chapter 5

**WARNING:**  
><strong>This chapter ended up rather graphic..<br>****I always wanted to write a sex scene...**  
><strong>Injoy.<strong>

"Rae?"

Rae's eyes snapped open. It was dark in the room but she could hear him crying. "Yeah,Bryan, what is it?"

"I had a bad dream. Is it okay if I sleep in the bed with you?"

"Umm... Okay..."

Rae moved to one side of the bed andBryanlay down beside her, sniffing loudly.

"I'm sorry.. About earlier."

Rae had lost her mind when she found out 101 had not only been there that day, but had been there a couple times 't eaten the food she had brought him yet, so Rae threw it away, afraid it may have been poisoned.

Rae had yelled atBryanfor letting her in the house and talking to her at all, not to mention accepting food from stomped upstairs to the bedroom, yelling back at her that he couldn't see why she was so upset. He stayed up there for the rest of the night and when Rae was ready to go to bed, he was already asleep.

After he had gone up to the room, Rae had passed around the house, checking for things 101 may have left behind, maybe a timed bomb. Anything.

_She was in here... He let her in here... She's not taking him from me... Not this one... Not this time... I'll fucking kill her..._

She even went outside once or twice with her assault rifle, hopping she was still in Grayditch.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Just... Don't let her in again, okay? If she shows up, just lock the door and come get me. I'm staying here until this is taken care of."

"Okay."

Her own words ran through her head again; I'm staying here until this is takin care of. Instantly, her next thought was Ben. Staying there was more important than seeing him again, but she REALLY wanted to see him again.

Nothing else was said between them that night. They both fell asleep soon after and hardly even noticed the other lying in the bed.

"What's going to happen?"Bryanasked at the kitchen table the next morning.

"What do you mean?"

"If the woman shows up again..."

"I don't know. We'll see. Do you know her name?"

"No."

_Crap! Of course he doesn't._

"What does she look like?"

"She has light skin... and light hair."

_I already know that,_ Rae thought annoyed. "What did she say to you?"

"Not a lot. She asks a lot of questions though."

"Like what?"

"Like what I do here. She's asked about you. She said she's seen you leave here before."

Fuck! "What did you tell her?"

"I just answered her questions... Am I in trouble?"

Rae wanted to say "Yes." But that wouldn't have been fair. He didn't know any better and he hadn't really done anything wrong. He was just desperate for companionship and as far as he was concerned, she was a friend for freeing Grayditch of their former infestation.

"No," Rae sighed. "Listen, When someone knocks at the door, I want you to go upstairs and not answer it."

"Okay..."

It was silent as they ate breakfast together; "YumYum Brand Deviled Eggs."

_Such an odd name for a box of Dried Whole eggs..._

"I don't understand..."

"You don't understand what?"

"Why do you hate her? Why is it bad that she was here?"

"Don't you listen to the radio?"

Bryanshook his head. That explains a lot.

"She's done a lot of bad things. She's not a good person."

"Like what?"

"She's blown up towns and killed a lot of good people."

"Oh."Bryanlooked down at his plate, pushing the food around with a fork. "I didn't know that.. She seems so nice.."

Rae said nothing.

She couldn't stop thinking about Ben and how she had told him she would go see him that day. But she wasn't going to. She couldn't putBryanin danger like that. Not again. She felt bad. Rae didn't know what it was like to be stood up but she was sure it wasn't a nice feeling.

The day was relatively uneventful and boring. Rae sat, reading the whole day to pass the time whileBryanplayed with his cars.

She kept a sawn off shotgun in her lap all day, just in case, jumping up at every noise. She hoped The Lone Wanderer would show up. Rae wanted her to. Nothing would have been more satisfying than emptying all the shotgun shells she had left into her head. She would be proud to rid the wasteland of little miss vault girl, the way she had disposed of the cannibals in Andale.

The day went by slowly, with Rae thinking about Ben every few minutes. She felt so bad for not going to see him, especially after the last day she was at his house.

_What is he thinking me right now? Is he mad at me? Will he want to see me again after I take care of the vault bitch?_

Rae went to bed very late that night. She could barely keep her eyes open and carry herself up to the bedroom. She wanted to be awake when 101 got there. But she didn't show up. Rae felt relieved and disappointed at the same time, but didn't have a lot of time to think about it before she fell asleep.

Knock, knock, knock...

_It's probably just in my head..._

"Rae..."

_That wasBryan's voice... Am I dreaming?..._

Knock, knock, knock...

"Rae!"

Rae sat up in a panic. Someone was at the door. She was still in her gray tank top and shorts.

"Stay here," she ordered him, jumping out of bed.

_No time to get dressed. Grab your gun. Quickly, before she leaves!_

Rae swung the door open quickly, amed her gun and-

"Ben!"

"Hi..." Ben looked sheepish, staring at the ground, Max at his side, panting. He had a large gun strapped to his back and hadn't noticed the even larger gun pointed in his direction.

She realized that in her sleep-induced haze and hurry to answer the door, she hadn't looked at what she was grabbing and just took whatever was closer to her at that moment. Rae took a deep breath and lowered her missile launcher. Her heart was racing, her trigger finger tingling. "Oh my God, Ben... I-"

"Ben!"Bryancame running down the stairs happily, coming to a stop to hug Ben around the waist. "Thank you for the car," He said, letting go and stepping back to look up at him, glancing over at Max a couple times.

Ben managed a weak smile. "You're welcome, little buddy. Here," He reached into his pocket. "I have another one for you." This one was orange with red flames painted on the sides.

"Wow! It's so cool!"Bryantook it happily. "Thanks!"

"Why don't you go play upstairs," Rae said, still trying to get her heart to slow down.

"Okay."

Rae turned back to Ben. "Ben.. I..." Rae dropped the gun to the floor and threw her arms around him, crying. "I'm so sorry! I'm so glad to saw you! I don't know what to do! She was here!"

Ben put his arms around her, not really sure what was happening, but ran his fingers through her hair anyway, trying to comfort her. "It's okay," he whispered, confused.

"It isn't." Rae let go of him, wiping her face. "I'm so sorry I didn't come see you, but... She was here... While I was at your house."

"Who?"

"That 101 girl. The kid from the vault."

Ben's eye's widened. "Holy shit! WasBryanhere?"

"Yes. That's why I didn't show up. I was waiting for her to come over again." Tears ran down Rae's cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

"No, don't be." Ben put his arms around her again as she cried, kissing the top of her head affectionately, trying to make her feel better.

"Do you want to come in," Rae asked, pulling away, embarrassed.

"Sure," Ben said, taking her hand and letting her lead him inside. Max fallowed behind them, happy to get out of the sun.

"So what's your plan?" Ben asked, sitting on the couch, Max's head at his feet.

"I don't have much of a plan outside of just waiting for her to show up so I can kill her."

"Does that seem like a good idea to you?"

"It doesn't matter. As long as she dies."

"Okay..."

Ben sat, petting Max, as Rae sat cross-legged beside him, holding her head in her hands. The only plan she had depended on 101 showing up again. She knew it wasn't a good plan but she couldn't go looking for her and leave the house vulnerable to her. Rae would have given anything to know her name and who she was. It would have made it so much easier to put an end to all of this.

"What do you want me to do?"

Rae looked up at Ben, looking at her.

"Do you want me to stay?"

Rae said nothing. She just continued to look at him. She couldn't help but be reminded of the day she promisedBryanshe would stay in Grayditch with him.

"I noticed there's another house across from here. If no one lives there already, then I will stay, if that's what you want."

Rae wanted to tell him yes. She wanted to jump into his arms and never leave them again. But the small childish side of her wanted to do it all by herself. She didn't want any help killing the woman who ruined all the good things in her life.

She won't get this one too...

"You would do that?"

"Move for you? I would move in with you if you weren't living here withBryan. It just seems inappropriate in that case. But there is a house across from here and if no one is living there, I'll move in."

Rae's cheeks turned pink behind the tear-stained skin. "You don't have to-"

"No, I want to keep you safe." Ben put his hand on her knee.

"I'm so sorry for not going to see you yesterday." Rae looked at him with saddened eyes. "I felt so bad. I almost came to see you..."

"After everything that happened, I'm glad you stayed here." Ben stood. "I'm going over to take a look at the other house, okay?"

Rae nodded.

"Ben..."

They both looked to seeBryanat the bottom of the stairs. "Can... can you leave the dog here while you're gone?"

"It'll only be for a few minutes," he informed the young boy.

"I know."

Ben nodded and with a quick glance over at Rae, he walked out of the room.

Bryanwent over to sit by Max who hadn't moved, even after Ben got up, as the door closed softly.

"Is he really moving into Brandice's old house?"

"It would appear so."

"That's good, right? He's really nice and he'll be closer now. You won't have to walk out into the wasteland to see him."

Rae nodded, not really listening. 101 could show up at any minute. She could be watching right now and they wouldn't know. She had done it before apparently. Why not again?

_Come to the door, you poisonous bitch. If you're out there, come to the door._

She watched asBryanscratched Max behind the ears and rubbed his belly happily. "We used to have a dog," He told Rae. "But he disappeared when the ants came. Pa said he got scared and ran away, but I didn't believe him."

Rae said nothing.

The door opened in the entrance room and Ben came around the corner to the living room. "What do you think, buddy?" Ben addressedBryan. "Do you think I should move in across from you guys? I think Max would like it here with you." He nodded toward the dog.

"Yeah," Ben smiled

"Good. Could you take him upstairs with you? I need to talk to Rae."

Bryangot up and walked upstairs, calling Max all the way up.

"I think he likes the dog." Ben smiled. He walked over to Rae and held his hand out for her to take and she did. He pulled her to her feet and put his arms around her, holding her close. "Everything's going to be okay," He whispered. "I'm gonna go and get my things and I'll be back tonight, okay?"

Rae nodded and looked up at him.

He smiled and placed a sweet, gentle kiss on her lips. "It'll be okay."

Rae was feeling impatient. She wanted 101 to show up soon. All the waiting around was making her tents and nervous. She was scared; there was no hiding it, but she was determined as well.

_Your death will be at my hands. Trust me on that..._

Ben didn't come back until way later that night when Rae was almost ready to go to bed andBryanhad already been asleep for hours. She was still sitting in the living room, with her sawn off shotgun in her lap and missile launcher back upstairs by her bed.

Ben walked quietly into the living room and Rae spotted him right away, surprised she hadn't jumped. Maybe she was too tired or maybe she didn't expect 101 to just walk in.

"Hey," he whispered. "I didn't think it was a good idea if I knocked. I didn't want to scare you or Bryan."

Rae yawned. "Max is upstairs withBryan. Are you all moved in?"

"Yeah." Ben stepped toward her, still sitting on the floor with her shotgun. "Come with me?"

"I can't, Ben."

"Rae, it's late. 101 isn't going to show up in the middle of the night."

"She may. How do you know?"

"I'm sure she hasn't. And I checked around Grayditch. No one's here but you, me and Bryan." Ben held his hand out to her. "It's just across from here... Please?"

Rae knew Ben was probably right, but still, she was supposed to stay in the house withBryan. She said she would. Rae looked up at Ben to tell him no.

She wasn't stupid. She knew he wanted her to go to his new place to get her all alone. But when she looked up at him, her voice caught in her throat. She knew what would happen once she was there, and she realized that she really did want it.

No, remember not to get caught up in a relationship you have no time for. You need to stay here. Keep everyone safe and stay here.

"Ben, I... I can't."

"Please. You'll be okay. I'll keep you safe, I promise." Ben looked down at her, pleading with his eyes to go with him and she really wanted to.

"Okay."

Ben smiled wide, taking her hand. She left the gun on the floor and they walked out into the night together. It was freezing, as usual, and they hurried into the next house, Rae closing the door quickly behind them.

Ben turned to look at Rae, taking a step toward her so that there bodies were pressed against each other. One hand on her lower back, the other on the back of her neck, he looked deeply into her eyes. There was a fire burning in them that could be seen even in the dimly lit room.

_So close..._

"You're so beautiful," he whispered before kissing her lips hungrily, moving to her jaw line and then her neck and shoulders. His hands seemed to be all over her at once.

Rae could feel herself going weak. She pressed her fingertips into his back and shoulders as her legs turned to rubber. Every inch of skin he kissed felt like it was on fire and she realized he was holding her up.

_So strong..._

"I'm sorry," she gasped, trying to find the feeling in her legs again. "I feel so stupid... I must be heavy."

"No." he sounded breathless as he worked his way down her arm, making sure to leave no inch of skin untouched. "No, you're perfect." He kissed her fingertips, sending chills up her spine and making her skin tingle.

Moving back up to her lips, he kissed her deeply and she kissed him back, clinging to him as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Make love to me."

They stopped and he was looking down, into her eyes again. Everything seemed to hold still, even the earth and time itself. "I need you," he whispered. "Please let me make love to you."

Rae could barely think, but she didn't have to. she leaned forward just a little-

_So close..._

and kissed him softly, barely touching his lips with hers. It felt so sweet to her. "Yes," she whispered.

Suddenly she was pressed up against the front door. He pinned her there with his body. She could feel him aroused and he pressed his pelvis firmly against hers as he continued to taste her entire upper body.

She wanted to beg him not to stop, but she said nothing. She kissed his shoulder while he kissed her neck. He was so close to her, she could feel his hart pounding hard against his chest and she wondered if he could feel hers as well. The excitement was intense.

Rae grabbed his shirt and pulled it off over his head. She loved the way his body looked and felt under her fingertips as she ran her hands over his chest, stomach and arms. His skin was so dark. So much darker than hers and she liked it a lot.

Ben grabbed the bottom of the small tank top and slipped it off of her, exposing her breasts. She let him run his hands over the front of her, starting at her neck and down over her nipples and then her stomach. The skin under his finger tips tingled.

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear; "Follow me to the bedroom?"

Rae tried to say "yes" but all that came out was a gasp. She blushed and he smiled at her.

_What I'm I doing,_ Rae thought, as they walked upstairs, still groping each other the whole way. _I need to go home. I need to get back to Bryan. This is stupid. What if something happens? What if-_

Ben put his hands on her back, gently laying her down on his bed and bending over to unlace her boots and remove her socks.

_I need to go. I need to put my clothes back on. I-_

He lay on top of her, putting hardly any weight against her as he kissed her nec and undid her belt. He slipped off her remaining clothes and she was completely exposed, lying on his bed. He sat up to look at her body, passion in his eyes, and all thoughts of leaving were gone from Rae's mind.

"You're so beautiful," he repeated.

She sat up, grabbing his belt as he kicked off his boots and slipped his pants off.

Rae was a virgin. She knew what a naked man looked like but she had never seen it herself. She wasn't sure how big "big" was and she had no one to compare to. But she wasn't innocent. She had touched herself late at night on more than one occasion and compared to her fingers, he was huge.

Rae suddenly felt extremely nervous as Ben got on top of her again, careful not to accidentally penetrate her just yet. "I've never done this before," she whispered. She could feel every inch of his body on top of her and under her hands and fingers.

"Neither have I," he said, trying to kiss her everywhere. "But I'm so happy to be your first."

Rae smiled a little. "Will it hurt?"

"I'm not sure," he answered, kissing her. "I don't ever want to hurt you."

Rae sighed and moaned softly, feeling his lips and hands all over her body. He worked his way back up to her lips and she could feel him positioning himself.

"Are you nervous?"

Rae nodded.

"I am too." He put his arms around her and she could feel the tip of him press gently between her legs. He held her, lips against her ear. His breath was hot and his breathing was uneven. "Do you trust me?"

Rae could feel herself quivering as she got wetter and wetter. She felt so scared but she did trust him and she knew he would never put her in danger. "Yes."

It did hurt. But it was an odd feeling of pain and pleasure. She gritted her teeth, trying not to dig her nails too far into his back. He was gentle, entering her softly and slowly. He heard her let out a small cry and he stopped.

"I'm sorry, I'm hurting you. Should I pull out?"

"No!" Rae held onto him tighter. "No, please. Don't stop."

Ben continued, mouth still near her ear. She tried not to focus on the odd pain between her legs. Instead she listened to him. His breathing seemed to come out randomly and soft moans escaped his lips.

Soon, she realized that the pain wasn't bad at all. It seemed to have faded, replaced by intense pleasure. She held onto him, letting out little moans. His name escaped from between her lips once or twice, unable to stop herself, and she could almost feel him smile.

"Dose it still hurt?"

"No. Please... don't stop."

"Should I go faster?"

Rae nodded and he did. The pleasure she felt was overpowering. She could feel it all over, sending shocks of ecstasy through her body every time he thrusted into her. Her toes started to go numb and for a moment; she couldn't see or feel anything but him, almost like someone had turned the gravity off.

He started to thrust into her faster and harder and she moaned loudly as her entire body seemed to seize up. His back was slick with sweat and she ran her hands over it.

"I think I'm gonna-"

Suddenly, he moaned loudly and everything seemed wetter. He stopped, almost seeming to collapse on top of her without squishing her. Everything felt sticky.

Ben rolled over onto the mattress beside her. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

Rae couldn't move, let alone think. Everything felt numb and heavy at the same time. "Umm... No, no it was.. I was... fine." She gasped for air.

Ben chuckled a little and rolled over onto his side to face her, running his hands over her body. His hands felt hot and rough, worked out over years of being in hell, but at that moment, they were in heaven.

Rae found enough strength to roll over onto her side and put one of her arms around him. He held her there for a long time, saying nothing. She felt so relaxed and at ease, basking in the silent, numb bliss beside Ben. Her eyes were closed and her breathing began to steady.

"Don't fall asleep," Ben whispered, a smile in his voce.

Rae giggled and he pulled her in closer to him. "I won't," she whispered.

"Say it..." Rae opened her eyes and looked at Ben, eye-level with him. He was looking back at her as he ran his hands over her back.

"Say it? Say what?"

"Tell me you love me..."

Rae grinned wide and closed her eyes again. She didn't have a single care right at that moment. Everything felt so good and so perfect.

"I love you."


	6. Chapter 6

**This is it; the last chapter!  
><strong>**It all ends here!  
><strong>**Have fun! =)**

The sun was coming up when Rae finally got home. She hadn't slept and neither had Ben. They just laid in bed together, running their hands over each other and not really talking much. Everything that had to be said was said between their first and second time.

Their second time, which came about thirty minutes after their first, was much slower and passionate. Ben held her close as they breathed and gasped lightly together, hearts pounding against each other's chests. Rae's name escaped between Ben's teeth a couple times, making her go numb again.

Ben had been fine, fast asleep in bed, exactly the way Rae had left him hours ago. Light poured in through the boarded up windows and the sound of light snoring filled the room. There was nothing to suggest that the vault girl had been there at all, and Rae was grateful.

She walked over to the bathroom to clean up. The little spot between her legs was sore and painful. She knew she would have to touch it to clean herself, but she didn't want to. She stared at the tub.

_Is the radiation in the water going to give me an infection? Should I just go get some purified water? No, I've swam and bathed in the river so many times..._

Rae turned the handle. The water in the tub would have almost been clear if it wasn't for the slight pinkish-brown color coming from the old rusty pipes. Rae was surprised the water ran at all and she was grateful for that too.

The water was cold. She could have boiled some water and made it warm, but she wasn't sure she could walk up the stairs one more time. She felt tired and weak. She felt that she barely made it to the bathroom or climbed into the tub without collapsing to the floor.

The bed looked more than inviting to her but it didn't seem right to sleep without Ben. She would have given anything to fall asleep in his arms. But she couldn't. She couldn't leaveBryanhere alone again.

_Not for that... Not now that the sun's up._

Rae was still wet with the water from the tub when she lay down in her bed. It was hard to find a towel clean enough, so she just let herself drip dry as she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and fell asleep. She dreamed of him that morning.

Rae woke a few hours later to the sound of voices downstairs. She could hearBryan, and the other was-

_Is it her?_

Rae shot up in the bed, tense, listening hard. It was Ben's voice. Rae collapsed back into bed, feeling stupid.

_You need to relax. You need to have some control._

Rae sat up again, slowly this time, stretching and allowing her back to pop in odd places. She had went to bed in a pair of short shorts and a little half shirt. It didn't cover much but it covered all the important areas, so she decided not to put more on before walking downstairs.

Ben was sitting on the couch andBryanon the floor with Max's head in his lap. He was looking up at Ben. They hadn't noticed her when she came to a stop at the foot of the stairs.

"No adults at all?"

"Nope! All children, about your age."

"Sounds scary."

"It wasn't that bad. We all took care of each other. The really scary part was the monsters!"

"Monsters?"

"Yeah, there's hundreds of them and they're huge and ugly with nail boards! We use to stand guard by this huge metal gate that kept them out. But one day-"

"No, no, no."

Ben and Bryan looked up at Rae.

"No scary stories. He's been having nightmares."

"Aww! But it's cool!"Bryanturned back to Ben. "What happened?"

"Sorry, kiddo. Maybe some other time."Bryanlooked disappointed. "But, I do have something for you."

Bryan's face lit up. "Another car?"

"You bet!" Ben pulled yet another little wooden car from his pocket. This one was purple and black.

"What do you say, sweetheart?"

"Thank you!"Bryanran past Rae and up the stairs with his newest toy.

"What were you talking about?" Ben smiled and stood up. Rae walked over to him and he put his arms around her shoulders, making her smile uncontrollably.

"Would you believe me if I told you I was telling him about my childhood?" She could hear the grin in his voice.

"Pfft! No!"

A low chuckle formed deep in his chest, almost making it sound like it echoed around the room. "I missed you earlier this morning after you left."

"I know. I wanted to go back over and fall asleep with you, but I couldn't."

"I understand."

Rae tilted her head back to see him smiling down at her, eyes sparkling happily, and she gave him the sweetest kiss she could manage.

"I didn't want last night to end," he whispered when her head was on his chest again.

Rae smiled. "Neither did I."

They walked over to the couch hand in hand and sat down beside each other. "Let me move in here with you," Ben suggested. "Bryanreally likes me and..." Ben seemed to trail off and Rae waited for his voice to come back to him. "I'm not sure how many more nights I can sleep without you."

"I know how you feel, but you can't. It would be inappropriate andBryandoesn't need to see us all over each other all the time."

"You're right," he said, even though he looked extremely disappointed. "I just want to keep you safe. I want to keep you both safe."

"I can take care of myself and Bryan too." Rae felt herself getting angry. "I'm not some frail little girl!"

"No," Ben took her hands in both of his and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "You misunderstand. I owe you my life. All I want to do is make sure you're okay. I get so nervous when you and him are all alone at night. I know you can take care of everything by yourself, but I don't want you to do it alone."

Rae blushed and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. "You're so sweet."

"Well, if you don't want me to move in, then I have an idea." Ben stood up, walking out of the room and Rae followed, curiosity boiling to the surface.

Ben was standing to the left of the front door, pulling out nails, a hammer and wood that Rae recognized from the fence outside. Rae watched. She wasn't sure what he was doing but when he was done, he stepped back to show her.

"What do you think?"

"...What is it supposed to be?" All Rae saw was old, rotting wood protruding out of the wall.

Ben smiled. "It's a shelf. Look" Ben pulled a silenced 10mm pistol on top of it. "Now if she shows up at the door, you'll have a gun right there, even if you forget to grab one.

Rae smiled. It was very thoughtful. She highly doubted she would forget to grab a gun if 101 knocked at the door. Killing her was all Rae could think about lately. But still, it was nice. "Thank you."

"Anything for you." Ben put his arms around her and turned her around to press her gently against the door. He kissed her lips and her jaw line sweetly.

"Ben," Rae giggled. "We can't...Bryan-"

"We're not doing anything. I'm just kissing you."

Rae grinned, ready to push him away if he went too far. But he didn't. He kept his hands on her hips and her back and never kissed her below her collar bone.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, taking a tiny step back; far enough that they were no longer against each other, but he could keep his hands on her. "You just taste so sweet. And I can't stop thinking about last night."

"I know. Me too."

Ben smiled wide. "Can we do it again tonight?"

"Maybe," Rae teased, giving him a little half smile. "If you're good."

Ben laughed, then stepped closer to her again. "I'll always be good to you.

Footsteps could be heard behind them and Ben jumped back, quickly, like a little kid caught doing something wrong. Rae rolled her eyes a little.

"Rae, can I have something to eat?"

"Sure, sweetie. Do you need me to cook it?"

"No, I'll do it. "Bryanwalked away.

"You should go."

"But what if I miss you while I'm gone?"

Rae pushed him away, playfully. "Then you can come back."

Ben kissed her forehead. "Okay." He pulled her off the door and opened it. "I'll see you later."

Rae grinned at the thought of their plans for that night. She was excited and nervous all over again. "Bye." She closed the door and pressed her back back up against it, smiling.

Knock, knock, knock

Rae jumped, feeling the vibration up her spine. Giggling, she opened the door to see Ben still standing there, smiling.

"I missed you."

Rae hugged him tightly then stepped back. "Go home, Ben."

Ben kissed her hand, and Rae watched as he turned and walked away toward his house before closing the door and walking into the kitchen.

"Need any help?"

"No, I think I got it this time."Bryanhad a thick cut of brahmin steak sitting in a pan, the flame under it turned up as high as it will go.

Rae stepped forward, turning down the flame on the stove. "Like that."

"Okay."

"Don't forget to turn it."

"Okay, okay, I got it!"

Rae smiled and went to sit at the table.

Knock Knock Knock

Ben...

Rae was already sitting down. She stood up and hurried out of the kitchen to the door again, a smile spread across her face. She felt annoyed but also delighted and feeling silly

all at the same time.

"Ben, I thought you-"

Rae was eye-level with her, staring into blue eyes; definitely not Ben's.

"Alixx?"

A smile pulled at the corner of Alixx's lips. She looked at ease, hair pulled back, shoulders relaxed, and not at all surprised that she just happened to knock on Rae's door.

_Almost like she knew I lived here..._

"Hey, Rae. How you doin'?"

_So familiar..._

"Okay, I guess. How did you-"

"Rae?" She glanced over her shoulder to seeBryanstanding at the foot of the stairs.

_Why does he look so worried? _

"Sweetheart, go play. We're talking."

"But-"

"Hi,Bryan!"Alixx waved, still smiling.

_How does she know Bryan?... Unless... It's.. No. No way!_

"It's her,"Bryantried to whisper so that Alixx wouldn't hear him. Rae turned back to Alixx so fast, she was surprised she didn't hurt herself. She could hear quick footsteps behind her andBryanran upstairs, like he was supposed to.

_The blond hair, the blue eyes, the light skin... I should have known... Blue-eyed blonds aren't rare to come by, but still, I should have known. How could I have missed it? How could I have been so stupid?_

"You..."

Alixx smiled a little wider. "Me."

"How long?" Rae slowly began reaching over to the silenced 10mm pistol Ben had placed on a shelf next to the door where Alixx couldn't see.

"How long what?"

"How long did you know I was here. WithBryan?"

"The day we met atTenpennyTower. I followed you."

Rae continued to reach. She could have done it quickly but she didn't want Alixx to notice. This had to be quick, and for that to happen, it had to be unexpected. Alixx hadn't seemed to notice.

"You seemed so... odd. Like you had something... Or someone, to hide. I've been watching," she continued, her self-satisfied smile still spread across her own face. "I've been staked out here for weeks and none of you noticed. Even that guy missed me. How stupid could you get?"

_You bitch... I'll kill you... So close._

"It was you the whole time," Rae spat, hatred at her lips. She was trying to stall. "Megaton, the slaughter atTenpennyTower, Silver's death! It was all you!"

_So close... Please be loaded... Almost there... Got it!_

The cold metal met the tips of her fingers. She felt for the handle, not wanting to look away from the vault girl who had mistakenly showed up at the door.

"Oooo, very observant." Alixx clapped sarcastically.

Alixx had barely managed a third clap when Rae acted. Her hand tight around Ben's pistol, she thrusted it in the direction of Alixx's face, but Alixx was quicker somehow. By the time the 10mm was aimed, the end of a double-barrel shotgun was already resting in the air under Rae's chin.

"Real cute." Alixx's smile was gone now. "You're even dumber than you look."

Rae continued to point her small gun at Allix. "Drop it," she demanded, doing everything she could not to look nervous. "Or I swear, I'll-"

"You'll what? Shoot me?" Alixx laughed. It was a cold, high-pitched cackle. It may not have sounded that way in reality, but that's what Rae heard. "Go ahead, try it, but you know I'm faster. I'll pull the trigger before the bullet in your gun has a chance to take off."

_Fuck.. She's right.. What do I do now? Beg for mercy? No. Never._

"You know the difference between you and me?"

"You're an evil bitch and a coward?" Rae glared.

"I have nothing. But you... Look at you!" Alixx smiled again. "You got a house, a kid.." Her smile suddenly became wicked. "A lover. Have you fucked him yet?"

"Don't you dare-"

"Aww, so you have! So, there you go. A whole fucking happy family!"

_I'll kill you.. Even if I die too.. Your blood will be my prize.._

"You think you can just step into everyone's lives and take it like it's yours," Rae yelled, trying to look as if her fear was gone. "Like it belongs to you! Well. I have news for you, you fucking bitch! You can't! Someone's going to have to stop you!"

"Who? You?" Alixx seemed to laugh hysterically, then stopped, a blank expression on her face now.

_The pretty ones are always crazy._

"Are you fucking serious? They _are_ mine. I take what I want because I have nothing left. See, we both have a gun pointed at us, but here's the thing: I have nothing to live for... But you do. I'm not scared to die! But you are. I can see it in your eyes. Now beg for them."

"What?"

A smile pulled at the side of Alixx's mouth once more. "I don't care if I die. But you don't want to, do you?"

Rae said nothing.

_She's right. Fuck her for being right._

Rae didn't want to die. The thought of leaving Bryan and Ben at the mercy of the lone wanderer was painful and the thought of never seeing Ben again was more than she could bare.

"Drop your gun, get on your knees and beg for your life."

"Are you fucking craz-"

"DO IT!"

Rae dropped the gun to the ground with a loud thump.

"Get on your knees."

Slowly, Rae got down, one knee at a time.

_I can't believe I'm doing this. Is this what she did to everyone before she shot them? Crap. Now what? I shouldn't be doing this... I'm not going to do this._

"Now... Beg for your life. Beg me not to shoot you."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

_Fuck.. I'm gonna get shot.._

"No." Rae got to her feet, leaving the gun on the ground. "You are a coward, and I'm not. I will not beg for my life at the hands of a poisonous bitch like you. Fuck you! I'd rather die than give you any power over me!"

_Fuck! What did I just say?_

"Very well."

She saw Alixx's finger begin to tighten around the trigger and she closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath.

_I'm sorry, Mr. Wilks. I never should have promised something I couldn't handle. I thought I could keep your son safe. I'm sorry... I'm sorry Bryan. I'm sorry, Ben... Please forgive me. Don't forget me... I hope it doesn't hurt. Fuck. I'm going to to die... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sor-_

BANG!

Rae flinched, eyes shut tight.

_Here comes the pain, here comes the blood. Here comes death._

But where was it? There was no pain, she felt no blood. Was she dead? Had it happened that quickly? She could feel her feet still firmly planted on the ground.

_What the fuck?_

Rae opened her eyes very slowly. She half expected to still be eye-level with Alixx, but she wasn't. Ben could be seen outside of his house, a large gun in his hands. He seemed so far away to Rae, especially after thinking she would never see him again, never feel his arms around her or his lips pressed against her skin... And then she looked down.

There she was, Blond hair turned pink and red with blood that accumulated under her slowly, like a demented stream. After only one shot to the head, the vault woman wasn't moving, and Rae couldn't move either.

"Oh my God, Rae! Are you alright?" Ben had run over, dropping his gun and throwing his arms around her.

She was still stiff with shock, staring down at the woman she had wanted to kill for what seemed like a year now. She hadn't gotten to kill her, but she was dead. No doubt about that.

"Rae!"

Rae jumped, coming out of her daydream that seemed more like the end of a nightmare. She looked at Ben with wide eyes.

"Are you okay? I heard yelling, and I looked outside. Shit! Where'sBryan?"

"Yeah... He's upstairs. Probably hiding..."

Ben gave her a tight hug, lingering for a moment, then ran past her and up the stairs.

She couldn't stop staring at what was left of the girl that had tormented her and so many others' dreams and lives for so long. Her face was down in the dirt, arms and legs lying at odd angles, her shotgun an inch from her fingers. Alixx had taken hold of her without even meaning to. She had always had the control, all the way up until the end.

Rae wanted to kick her body hard. She felt a little angry toward Ben for being the one to kill her. But either way, she was dead. Gone forever.

Suddenly, Rae felt sorry for her. What had happened to her to make her feel that she had nothing to live for? She lived without pity or love in her heart and died the same way. And no one will mourn her. There will never be someone to be sad for her death. People will cheer and be happy; for on this day, there is one less demon in the Capital Wasteland.

**CREDITS:**

**BETA READERS  
><strong>**Rex Green  
><strong>**Kayla  
><strong>**Gomez**

**WRITER  
><strong>**R N Taylor**

**SPECIAL THANKS TO  
><strong>**Gomez  
><strong>**Chris  
><strong>**Rex Green  
><strong>**Kayla  
><strong>**Fallout Wiki**

**No waste landers were harmed in the making of this story.  
><strong>**I do not own Fallout.**


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